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A Plan of Action for Improving the Health of Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers

Author: Michigan Primary Care Association
Date Published: 2002


A report that examines the barriers faced by migrant and seasonal farmworker in maintaining their health and the health of their families.Most farmworkers travel frequently and over significant distances to secure agricultural employment, creating barriers to continuity of care and to health care access for migrant farmworkers. Due to the seasonal nature of their work, MSFWs work long hours, often starting work before dawn and ending after sunset t ensure that crops are harvested on time. In addition to their migratory life and long work hours, many MSFWs feel akin to strangers in a strange land. English is usually not their primary language. Cultural differences abound including nutritional habits, language, family structures and practices, religion and health seeking behaviors. These factors result in significant barriers to accessing timely, high quality primary and preventive health care. We should focus our efforts to improving the health of MSFWs for the following two pragmatic reasons: 1) Their health is our health: Infectious disease rates are much higher amongst MSFWs, including a particularly high prevalence of tuberculosis; Untreated illnesses typically to not remain contained within a small collective when people of the collective access many of the same resources as the larger community. For example, seasonal farmworker children share classrooms with non-MSFW children. 2) MSFWs represent a significant economic force in Michigan: MSFWs harvest over 2.1 billion dollars worth of goods; MSFWs are a major source of inexpensive agricultural labor.

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Price: free
Number of Pages: 39