Conferences: Conference for Agricultural Worker Health

Heat is a growing concern for health center patients and staff. Hot days are associated with a range of physical and mental health harms that include adverse pregnancy outcomes, increased emergency room visits or hospitalizations, and injuries. Populations that health centers serve like children, pregnant people, people with disabilities, people with mental health conditions, people experiencing cardiovascular diseases, and agricultural and outdoor workers experience greater susceptibility to heat.

As the number of hot days increases each year, health centers need more tools and resources to support their patients and providers in gearing up for heat season. Join representatives from the Centers from Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as they share about new clinical guidance and heat forecasting tools to prepare patients and providers for the hot days ahead.

Reproductive health refers to the condition of an individual’s reproductive system during all life stages and sexual well-being. It is influenced by numerous factors, including social and cultural norms, healthcare access, resource access, insurance access, and education level. Already, migrant, and seasonal farm workers (MSFW) have limited access to preventative screenings, family planning, perinatal care, benefits, and services. The resources for MSFW birthing individuals are scarce.

In this session, we will discuss how to enhance perinatal healthcare for pregnant agricultural workers by addressing immediate and systemic challenges such as fear and mistrust and the importance of standardizing the approval and application support process to improve the timeliness of completion and mitigate provider bias about "eligibility" for disability. Drawing insights from a recent project, we employ a Qualitative and Quantitative approach to illuminate critical aspects of the disability claims process.

In the Qualitative segment, we explore the lived experiences of 50 pregnant women through a detailed Patient Questionnaire, emphasizing comfort levels, comprehension, and timeliness of disability support. This exploration unveils nuanced insights into the emotions, challenges, and perceptions faced by pregnant agricultural workers during the disability claims journey.

Simultaneously, our Quantitative component involves a retrospective analysis of International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes for State Disability Insurance (SDI) and Paid Family Leave (PFL), targeting instances of denied benefits by the Employment Development Department (EDD) in 2022. Through this analysis, we aim to identify patterns, gaps, and areas for systemic improvement.

Community Health Centers are at the front line of climate change, as it deeply affects the communities that they serve. Historically, low-income communities, communities of color, and agricultural communities are at a disproportionate risk of the health impacts of climate change, especially from extreme heat events. To protect patient health, organizations are partnering together to build resources and communication strategies focused on identifying the impacts of climate change on health, with a special emphasis on extreme heat. In this session, you will hear from the Migrant Clinicians Network, which will discuss heat-related illness symptoms and prevention strategies for agricultural workers and overview their resources including a clinician guide for heat-related illness and culturally contextual resources to educate patients about preventing and recognizing heat-related illness. You will also learn from ecoAmerica about the Climate for Health Program, which provides free and accredited health center-tailored resources and training about the impacts of climate change on health and solutions at the individual, facility, and community levels. Finally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will share information about their new anticipatory heat guidance and heat risk tool.

Welcome
Theresa Jacobs, MD, FAAFP, Clinical Director, Georgia Primary Care Association

Chair-Elect Remarks
Michael Taylor, Chair-Elect, NACHC Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer, Cornell Scott - Hill Health Center

HRSA Bureau of Primary Health Care Update
Tonya Bowers, MHS, Deputy Associate Administrator, Bureau of Primary Health Care, HRSA

Keynote

Eduardo Sanchez, MD, MPH, FAAFP, Chief Medical Officer for Prevention, American Heart Association

2024 Outstanding Migrant Health Center Award

Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center Ahoskie, NC

2024 Lifetime Achievement in Migrant Health Award

Sister Ann Kendrick

Founder of Hope CommUnity Clinic

Community Health Centers Apopka, FL

2024 Outstanding Migrant Health Center Board Member Award

Nelida Acosta

Board Member

Adelante Healthcare Phoenix, AZ

2024 Outstanding Migrant Health Public Service Award

Jillian Hopewell, MPA

Chief Program Officer

Migrant Clinicians Network Austin, TX

2024 National Center for Farmworker Health Commemorative Artwork Unveiling
Alicia Gonzales, MSSW, Interim Chief Executive Officer, National Center for Farmworker Health

2024 Commemorative Artwork
Artist Presentation: Raymundo Lopez
 

Welcome
Virginia "Ginger" Fuata, Consumer/Board Member Rep., NACHC Board of Directors and First Vice Chair, Board of Directors, Waianae Comprehensive Health Center

President and CEO Remarks
Kyu Rhee, MD, MPP, President and CEO NACHC

Moderated Panel Discussion
Moderator:
Kyu Rhee, MD, MPP, President and CEO, NACHC

Panelists:
Magaly Dante, PhD, LMHC, Chief Executive Officer, MHP Salud

Alicia Gonzales, MSSW, Interim Chief Executive Officer, National Center for Farmworker Health

Kim Nolte, Chief Executive Officer, Migrant Clinicians Network

Smruti Shah, MPH, Deputy Director, Health Outreach Partners

Rebecca Young, MA, Director of Programs and Partnerships, Farmworker Justice

Presentation
El Pueblo Unido: Leveraging Community Organizing History, Strategy, and Relationships to Improve the Health of Agricultural Workers and their Families

The agricultural worker rights movement is strongly rooted in community advocacy and organizing and was the springboard for the health center movement. Health centers have been innovative in providing whole-person care to agricultural workers and their families and have built trusting relationships with them in a culturally and linguistically inclusive manner. Given the current political and societal conditions, health centers can navigate current realities by revisiting this history and build upon the strategies that have shaped agricultural worker health programs. It is critical that health centers are able to nurture a network of diverse, intergenerational community advocates that can strategize and act on health center priorities for agricultural workers and their families. This session will explore how to create and sustain a culture of community advocacy and organizing that is rooted in relational power, and how it can deepen the commitment and engagement of staff, board members, and patients in advocacy. The key strategies of storytelling and the act of invitation will be reviewed along with community advocacy and organizing principles. Attendees will hear from health centers on the use of these strategies, promising practices, and strategies to support advocates.

Presenter:
Yuriko de la Cruz, MPH, CPHQ, Deputy Director, Grassroots Organizing, NACHC