Opening a Dialogue with Growers through a Growers’ Survey
Crew Chiefs as Advocates for Health Education
Working with Area Growers to Provide Health Screenings at Work
Assessing Employers’ Needs and Interests
Opening a Dialogue with Growers through a Growers’ Survey
2007, Northwest Michigan Health Services, Inc.
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NMHSI designed and conducted a survey with over 30 growers in the tri-county service area of one of its clinic sites. The objective of the survey was to discover perceptions of farmworker health issues and barriers to care from the growers’ perspectives. In addition, growers were asked about: 1) the location of farmworker housing areas; 2) how they recruit farmworkers; 3) the percentage of farmworkers who return each year; 4) how the growers prefer to be approached and contacted by NMHSI; and, 5) whether they would be open to hosting an outreach clinic on their property, ensuring minimal workers’ time lost due to travel to and from the clinic. Most of the surveys were conducted over the phone and in person and took place during the off-peak season when the growers were not as busy. Some growers expressed their unfamiliarity with local resources and requested materials in Spanish for their workers. All interviews were followed up with a thank you letter and relevant informational materials about the organization and other community resources.
Maintaining positive relationships and open dialogue with growers supports the health and well-being of farmworkers. The survey opened a forum for discussion and exchange of information with growers. It also reinforced anecdotal evidence that the vast majority of growers in NMHSI’s service area care about the welfare of their farmworkers. As a result of this survey, NMHSI was invited to set up four outreach clinics on growers’ premises. In addition, because the survey allowed NMHSI to quantify for the first time the number of farmworkers in the area who are monolingual Spanish speakers, NMHSI has set up a language assistance program in the community for the benefit of all community-based providers who serve Spanish-speaking patients. Based on last year’s successes with this survey, NMHSI plans to repeat the project this year in the service areas of its other two clinic sites.
Crew Chiefs as Advocates for Health Education
2006, Quincy Community Health Center, Moses Lake Community Health Center
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Quincy Community Health Center staff and the Grant County Outreach Worker approached key crew chiefs working for local growers requesting their help in carrying out health education at their work sites. Crew chiefs in the area are required to teach certain occupational health and safety topics to farmworkers such as protective eyewear use and pesticide safety. QCHC’s outreach workers offered to teach some of these topics for them during convenient “down time” at the orchards in exchange for the opportunity to teach additional health topics such as STI prevention. Many of the crew chiefs were receptive to having the extra help in teaching classes and became very engaged in the effort. Some cleaned out their sheds for the classes, some provided food and some even provided an hour’s worth of pay to farmworkers who attended the sessions.
QCHC is exploring and developing many innovative alliances with a wide variety of community partners. In this case, outreach workers were able to effectively engage crew chiefs by meeting some of the crew chiefs’ needs as well as those of farmworkers. Outreach staff presented crew chiefs with certificates of appreciation for their collaborative efforts. This has generated interest among other crew chiefs who also want to get involved with QCHC’s health education activities.
Working with Area Growers to Provide Health Screenings at Work
2005, Valley-Wide Health Systems, Inc.
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Valley-Wide Health Systems, Inc. (VWHS) outreach staff work with area growers to set up health screenings for farmworkers at their places of work. Health screening opportunities at work allow farmworkers the choice of taking a few minutes to receive health information and services from outreach workers and clinicians without penalty and without having to travel to the health center or take time out of their evenings with outreach workers. It also allows VWHS to see a large number of farmworkers in one place, something that is particularly important given the relatively few farmworkers who live in large housing camps in the area. VWHS gains the support of area growers for these services by providing growers with a presentation about VWHS the importance of health care to farmworkers.
By setting up health screenings at farmworkers’ places of employment to supplement other outreach activities, VWHS has both created an alternative way for farmworkers to access their services as well as increased their own ability to see more farmworker patients. This is particularly important given the large population of farmworkers who do not reside in farmworker housing complexes or camps, making it difficult for outreach services to reach them in large numbers.
Assessing Employers’ Needs and Interests
2008, Beaufort Jasper Hampton Comprehensive Health Services, Inc.
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As of 2007, Beaufort Jasper Hampton Comprehensive Health Services, Inc. (BJHCHS) begins its outreach season by administering a needs assessment questionnaire to area growers and crew leaders. At the onset of the season, growers are sent an introductory letter from the outreach coordinator describing BJHCHS’ services and the farmworker outreach program, the location of the BJHCHS’ clinics, and a request for 15 minutes of their time. The outreach coordinator visits local farms to conduct employer assessments whether or not the reply form included with the letter is received by BJHCHS. The simple yet comprehensive questionnaire requests information on the farmworkers employed, such as demographic and migration patterns; common health problems seen in the camps; barriers to care; where the farmworkers go to seek medical care; growers’ interest in on-site outreach services for their workers; and the types of services growers would like to see provided (transportation, screenings, referrals, language services, etc.).
Based on last year’s efforts, the outreach coordinator improved relations with area growers and also received accurate numbers of the farmworkers in BJHCHS’ service area. The outreach coordinator learned about individual growers’ needs and expectations of BJHCHS as well as the work patterns on each farm to make outreach visits more effective and less intrusive. Growers also benefited from participating in the assessment because they learned new information, such as their employees’ health problems. For example, many were unaware of the high rates of diabetes and hypertension, illnesses that can significantly impede the productivity of their labor force. This assessment activity, combined with other farmworker-accommodating services, such as evening hours, case management activities, and community partnerships has helped to ensure and enhance quality health services to migrant and seasonal farmworkers in the BJHCHS service area. This successful approach to assessing growers’ needs and interests will continue to be an annual activity for outreach staff.
