This year marks the 60th anniversary of the passage of the Migrant Health Act, the landmark agreement that sowed the seeds for what would later become the Community Health Center Program. Community health centers serve approximately 20% of the estimated 4.5 million Agricultural Workers in the United States. Health center staff members, community health workers, clinicians, executives, consumer board members, and Ag worker advocates have come together to develop more effective strategies to increase access to care for migratory and seasonal agricultural workers and their families through the Ag Worker Access Campaign. The Campaign was launched in 2015 in partnership between the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) and National Center for Farmworker Health (NCFH). The Campaign’s goal is to increase the number of Agricultural workers and their families served in health centers to 2 million. Migrant Health Program grantees and community health centers in general are critical to ensuring access to quality primary and preventive care for patients who might otherwise go without care.
Join us in celebrating this milestone anniversary and Agricultural Worker Health focus day!
Consider these resource and ideas in recognition of Agricultural Worker Health Center Day this year:
- Visit the Ag Worker Access Campaign webpage to download tools and resources to integrate the Campaign and the Migrant Health Program’s 60th Anniversary into your health center week events.
- Visit the NCFH’s website for resources, tools, and archived webinars to learn more about and better serve this vulnerable population.
- Host a mobile health screening and health fair event – organize an event on-site with partners in your community to reach agricultural workers onsite at their workplace.