Local Agencies Partner up to Pack More Power into Migrant Farmworker Outreach

One Community Health and Mid-Columbia Medical Center collaborate with local resources to bring ‘health fairs’ and support to seasonal workers and families.

HOOD RIVER, Ore., June 19, 2017 — For 30+ years, One Community Health (OCH) has made a commitment to provide health education and services to migrant farmworkers who, come summer, harvest fruit throughout the Columbia River Gorge. While the mission to serve this population is no different this summer, big changes are afoot, particularly in regard to how outreach will play out and some of the key players behind it.

For starters, OCH is announcing a new, exciting direction with a number of community partners that are working on a common goal: making outreach bigger and better. According to Alicia Swift, OCH’s enabling services manager, this new development came about when the OCH Outreach Team started attending and helping lead various meetings with these organizations. All of them were already working to serve the migrant farmworker population in the region in some way. From the meetings, came a more powerful action plan for a series of collaborative, coordinated outreach visits.

“It simply made sense,” Alicia says. “You’ve got all these local organizations working toward a common cause—supporting migrant farmworkers—and yet we felt if we all came together around the same table, we could probably do so much more.”

During harvest season, OCH will conduct four of its visits to farmworker camps solo. However, OCH is teaming up with Mid-Columbia Medical Center (MCMC), which also has a track record for its successful farmworker outreach program, called “Serving Oregon and its Migrants by Offering Solutions” (SOMOS). Together, OCH and MCMC organizations are co-leading three visits to farmworker camps in June and July. The combined efforts and professional talent will give farmworkers more health care services, access to resources, and education, as well as new types of support than in years past.

“Our SOMOS program has been an amazing success,” says Dianne Storby, MCMC’s chief operating officer. “Last year, we proudly met the needs of so many community members, and we look forward to working with One Community Health to make this this year an even bigger success.”

In addition to OCH offering the usual nutrition and chronic disease education, glucose testing and blood pressure checks, it will now provide dental education, behavioral health screenings, plus education around heatstroke, dehydration and safety practices. One Community Health will bring its share of staff, supplies and equipment while MCMC will contribute medical providers, interpreters, volunteers and physical therapists for even greater support and impact. Most of the outreach will be at orchards around The Dalles.

“MCMC employees have a long history of volunteering in the community,” says Denise Dietrich-Bokum, SOMOS Program Coordinator and a supervisor at Mid-Columbia Medical Center. “Many of our volunteers grew up in or near orchards, worked in agriculture, or just have a passion to help others. We have a large, diversified workforce from administrators, nurses, medical, lab and nursing assistants, as well as medical providers and board members. SOMOS is fortunate to be able to recruit volunteers from such a large talent pool. These MCMC volunteers will be registering migrants, taking vital signs, handing out hygiene kits, and providing information on accessing resources in the community. Workers and their families who need to see a physical therapist or medical provider will be evaluated and treated, or referred for further treatment by our volunteer pediatricians, family and internal medicine providers, and physical therapists.”

Meanwhile, other community partners are reinforcing the outreach, too. Fish Food Bank, St. Vincent de Paul, The Next Door, Oregon Food Bank, Gorge Grown Food Network, Klickitat Health Department, Skyline Hospital, Providence Hospital and Oregon Child Development Coalition are all stepping up to volunteer, help with food boxes, and do much, much more. Some of these agencies have assisted in years past but are now increasing their efforts and resources.

“We’ve divvied up our responsibilities, so it should work out really well,” Alicia says. “Given all the plans with these agencies and the significant partnership with MCMC, these events will have more of a health-fair feel, rather than be like traditional outreach visits. It’s exciting—and it’s going to be huge!”

That said, as in years past, farmworkers and their families who are screened for health care services and receive recommendations for additional medical, behavioral or dental health care can access the OCH Migrant Farmworker Clinic, which starts June 19. Details are as follows:

Walk-in appointments for medical and behavioral health:

When: Monday-Thursday, 3-5:30 p.m. and Friday, 3-5 p.m., $25-$30 per visit (bring last paycheck stub to apply for sliding-scale discount)

Where: 1040 Webber St., The Dalles, OR 97031

Dental emergencies (call first, 541.296.4601):

When: Monday-Thursday, 3-5 p.m., $50 per visit with OCH discount

Where: 1040 Webber St., The Dalles OR 97031

For more information about the OCH migrant farmworker outreach, contact Alicia Swift: aswift@onecommunityhealth.org.

For more information about the OCH Migrant Farmworker Clinic or its walk-in hours, call: 541.296.4601.

About One Community Health
One Community Health (OCH) is a nonprofit, federally qualified health center with locations in The Dalles and Hood River, Ore. Formerly known as La Clínica del Cariño Family Health Care Center, Inc., it was founded in 1986 and, today, has evolved into an official Patient-Centered Primary Care Home. OCH currently provides services to over 10,000 patients. In addition, OCH excels in providing proactive educational programs and support that sustain its integrated approach to health and wellbeing. Dedicated to advancing health and social justice for all its community members, OCH serves patients from the Mid-Columbia River Gorge Region: Wasco, Hood River, Klickitat and Skamania Counties.