Collaborations Enable Diversified Care
2004, Farmworker Health Center, Union/Jackson Labor Camp

SHSDC creates relationships with other agencies in the community that increase and improve the services they are able to provide to farmworkers and their families. Two examples of this collaborative initiative are their interpreter services and dental services. Responding to the need for interpretation services for farmworkers, an SHSDC outreach worker began interpreting on a volunteer basis in hospitals and anywhere the service was needed. This has turned into an official interpreting service that has five members who carry beepers and are available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Some hospitals reimburse for the service and formal negotiations are underway to encourage reimbursement by all users of the service.

Dental care continues to be a desperately needed service for farmworkers in Southern Illinois. The center works to provide care, but has difficulty finding dental providers. To alleviate this barrier, the health center partners with the Southern Illinois University Dental Hygiene Program. Students rotate through the clinic providing assistance and, in turn, receive a hands-on public health experience. The center also utilizes the expertise of the Dental Hygiene Program’s faculty for promotor de salud training and community health education programs.

Creating partnerships with outside organizations enables SHSDC to effectively leverage their funding. Through these partnerships, SHSDC avoids duplication of services and employs a creative way to approach service gaps for their clients while providing continuity of care.

Additionally, the interpreter and dental services added to SHSDC’s menu of services provide supplementary training expertise for SHSDC staff members, including cross training for the majority of staff members, and engages students in the field of public health.