National Farmworker Health Day

Since 1962 and the signing of the Migrant Health Act, migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their families have been accessing primary healthcare services from migrant health centers across the United States. Numerous advances have been made in the delivery of care to this underserved and hard to reach population, and individuals in migrant health have employed creative strategies in their delivery of care. From the use of mobile vans, outreach in the agricultural fields, utilizing promotores de salud to deliver health education, to offering multiple language services, transportation assistance and case management, the migrant health center has been a model for providing quality and affordable health services to our nation's farmworkers. On August 12th, we will have an opportunity to collectively celebrate and acknowledge the work of the dedicated individuals working in migrant health and recognize the contributions and the continued healthcare needs of migrant and seasonal farmworkers. This day has been designated as National Farmworker Health Day and is part of the National Health Center Week, sponsored by the National Association of Community Health Centers and scheduled for August 8th-14th. National Health Center Week is dedicated to recognizing the service and contributions of Community, Migrant, Homeless and Public Housing Health Centers in providing access to affordable, high quality, cost-effective health care to medically vulnerable and underserved groups in the United States. The theme for this year is "Celebrating America's Health Centers: Turning Vision Into Reality". It recognizes the vital role of health center providers and staff in achieving the success of the health center mission. For those in migrant health, it also means keeping alive the dedication and commitment to improving the lives of farmworkers and their families through access to healthcare services. For many, this commitment has been a lifelong goal as demonstrated by the numerous individuals in migrant health who have been "in the field" for most of their professional careers. These individuals have propelled small regional clinics into large health care corporations with multiple service delivery sites and have been the impetus for continued growth and increased access for the population.