Education programs, free health care screenings, and open-clinic hours will address nutrition and diabetes prevention.

HOOD RIVER, Ore., June 13, 2016 — Come Thursday, June 16, a number of certified community health workers, medical providers and volunteers from One Community Health (OCH) will start visiting local cherry orchards to connect personally with an estimated 500 migrant farmworkers.

Over the course of the four days, the outreach team will visit eight camps—two every evening. The goal? To provide critical health information and screenings, give any necessary medical referrals, and build a sense of connection between OCH and the migrant farmworkers it’s serving.

“After the farmworkers return to their camps for the day, we personally knock on their cabin doors and invite them to hour-long educational talks on diabetes prevention and nutrition,” says Evaristo Romero, a Certified Community Health Worker who has worked on the Harvest Outreach since joining OCH 12 years ago. “We use an engaging, very visual teaching approach that allows us to go beyond what most people know about food and nutrition. We then ask them questions about what we presented, giving prizes like vegetables, fruits, and grains to those who get the answers right and who make a commitment to a healthier lifestyle. After that, everyone lines up for free blood pressure checks and blood sugar screenings. If we find anyone needs additional care, we talk to them and, if they want it, provide a referral to get medical help.”

In addition to cherry harvest outreach, OCH is continuing to offer its Open Clinic for Migrant Farmworkers with same-day medical appointments on a first-come, first-serve basis. OCH will also offer special hours for dental emergencies. Operating through mid-July, both clinics will offer migrant farmworkers a sliding scale discount. (Applicants are encouraged to bring a valid paycheck stub to receive this discount.)

Medical:

When: Monday thru Thursday, 3-5:30 p.m. and Friday, 3-5 p.m.
Where: One Community Health, 1040 Webber Street, The Dalles 97058
Cost: $25-$35 per visit with OCH’s sliding scale discount.

Dental:

When: Monday thru Thursday, 3-5 p.m., $50 per visit with our sliding scale discount.
Where: One Community Health, 1040 Webber Street, The Dalles 97058
Cost: $50 per visit with OCH’s sliding scale discount.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary this June, OCH is honored to continue what’s amounted to three decades of migrant farmworker outreach. Over time, health care demand for this demographic has changed, yet OCH has continually strived to respond efficiently and accurately. For example, this year, OCH has commissioned the expertise of John Jessup to proactively assess what growers want and need in terms of health care for their migrant farmworkers. Jessup, a resident of White Salmon, is an instructor at Oregon Health & Sciences University’s public health program and skilled at managing such labor-intensive projects when time is of the essence.

“I’ll be getting out to the orchards during this window that cherry harvest provides to really connect with the growers and the farmworkers face to face,” Jessup says. “I’m asking them what they want in terms of health care services, education, and our approach to it all. Gathering, assessing, and reporting on this information is a specialty of mine, but I’m also passionate about improving the health of farmworkers and making sure they can get the right kind of help from us and, just as importantly, when and where they need it.”

For more information about OCH’s harvest outreach or its Open Clinic for Migrant Farmworkers, call: 541-386-6380.

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. Today, OCH 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.