Migrant Farm Worker Clinics

Migrant farm workers are among the most economically disadvantaged and most medically vulnerable groups in the United States having little, if any, access to health care or medication. In addition to barriers to access to health care that many citizens meet like affordable health insurance, language barriers, and lack of transportation, migrant workers also experience additional barriers such as fear of deportation, loss or garnished wages, and being dismissed or not invited back to work by the employer due to missed work or health issues. A coalition of local organizations, along with the University of Connecticut (UConn), has formed a network to overcome these barriers and attend to the health care needs of migrant and seasonal farm workers.

The University of Connecticut (UConn) and the Connecticut Area Health Education Centers (CT AHEC) Program strive to help migrant farm workers overcome these barriers by conducting medical and dental screenings on site at farm worker barracks free of charge. The UConn Migrant Farm Worker Clinics operate annually from June to October offering diagnostic and treatment options for a variety of conditions, both acute and chronic. For over a decade, the UConn Migrant Farm Worker Clinic have annually provided between 300 and 600 migrant farm workers with primary care screenings, oral health screenings, distribution of medications for mild and self-limited conditions, as well as preventive health education.

To improve access to health care and provide a coordinated and continuous approach to care, the UConn clinic works closely with the members of the Connecticut Migrant Health Network which include outreach workers at the Hispanic Health Council, ConnectiCOSH (http://www.homestead.com/homefront/Connecticosh.html), the Department of Labor and contracted community health centers. These outreach workers provide transportation to follow-up health services at participating community health centers. These follow up health services are funded by a federal voucher program based on the 1962 Migrant Health Act, Section 329 which is distributed via Connecticut River Valley Farm Worker Health Program. (http://www.massleague.org/Programs/CRVFarmWorkerHealthProgram/AboutCRVFHP-InEnglish.php)

Additional programs have been designed by Connecticut AHEC to address the lack of health literacy and preventive health education materials available to the migrant farm workers. These programs include the Promatoro de Salud (health promoter) Program and a health education outreach program conducted by the Collegiate Health Service Corps. These programs are integral to developing awareness on the individual and group level by providing personalized and cultural sensitive interaction and educational materials.