WOODLAND, CA (MPG) – In recognition of National Farm Workers Day today, Yolo County and CommuniCare Health Center’s Mobile Medicine Team announce their commitment to providing much needed access to healthcare to migrant farmworkers and seasonal agricultural workers. Services at migrant work centers countywide will begin on April 12 and go through November 1, 2022.

The team will visit farmworkers in Davis on the second Tuesday of the month, Madison on the third Tuesday of the month, and Dixon on the fourth Tuesday of the month. Clinics will be held from 4 to 8 pm, with a one-hour break for mass.

“Farmworkers are a key and critical part of our local ag economy. We are observing National Farm Worker Day by celebrating our mobile medicine program that serves the health needs of our local farmworker community. It is a perfect complement to our continuing efforts to maintain and improve migrant housing centers in Yolo and Solano counties,” Chairman, Yolo County Housing Authority, Supervisor Gary Sandy. “Farmworkers labor very hard, under the most challenging of circumstances, to provide food for our tables. Our ongoing efforts to improve their healthcare and housing are vitally important to serving this vital population responsibly and humanely.”

Migrant and seasonal agricultural workers are at especially high risk for health issues due to the physically demanding and intensive nature of their work. They are susceptible to heat-related illnesses, infectious diseases due to substandard living conditions, respiratory issues via exposure to pesticides and chemicals, and injuries from machinery, livestock or pests.

Additionally, migrant workers and their families can experience mental health challenges or addiction, which can be influenced by the cumulative effect of constant relocation, poverty, and stress. Establishing and keeping healthcare providers, staying consistent with treatment plans and keeping track of health records is also difficult given the migratory culture of this population.

“By meeting farm workers where they work and live, the Mobile Medicine Team brings equity in accessing healthcare services that may not otherwise be sought,” Program Coordinator Anisa Vallejo. “It is through years of hard work and collaboration that we’re able to get to this point and we are grateful for our partners who believed in the same idea of serving the County’s seasonal migrant workers community.”

CommuniCare Health Center’s Mobile Medicine Team offers some solutions in the face of these challenges. As both a Federally Qualified Health Center and Migrant Health Center, CommuniCare Health Centers has provided services to migrant farmworkers in Yolo County for decades. The addition of the Mobile Medicine Team reduces barriers to assessing health care, such as lack of transportation or fear of using healthcare due to immigration status.

Staff includes a medical team that provides treatment for chronic disease, acute conditions, wounds, and other health related issues. In addition, a dental team provides dental services, a behavioral health team of clinicians, peer advocates, and Promotores that offer support for substance use disorder, mental health services, educational information, and resources.

The Mobile Medicine Team services are possible through community benefit investments from Sutter Health, Dignity Health, and the Woodland Clinic Medical Group. HHSA is providing the equipment and the new outfitted van. CommuniCare Health Centers are providing staffing and operational support. Over $1 million has been invested in caring for Yolo County’s most vulnerable residents.