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STOCKTON (California) RECORD April 11, 2008
Health fair serves S.J. farm workers
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STOCKTON - Hundreds of farm workers received free screenings and health information Thursday at an event that organizers hoped would bring preventive care to people who otherwise have little access to it. "We want to be able to help them," said San Joaquin County Supervisor Steve Gutierrez, who helped plan the health fair, which was held inside the Annunciation School gymnasium. "What we've always been trying to do is provide services for these folks instead of having them come to the emergency room." Farm labor contractors, as well as representatives from the nonprofit group El Concilio, drove workers - mostly men - to the health fair in vans. Several local agencies and organizations volunteered services, including cholesterol screenings, and dental and vision tests. "Most of them have never seen a doctor before," Gutierrez said. According to research from the California Institute for Rural Studies, the state's agricultural workers tend to have high rates of obesity and hypertension, as well as unhealthy cholesterol levels. Meanwhile, very few have health insurance, and among male farm workers, more than a third have never been to a doctor or visited a clinic. "This is a great opportunity for them to get checked thoroughly," said Brissa Soto, a student in the medical assistant program at Maric College. Soto and other students from the Stockton campus checked farm workers' blood pressure. Luis Rangel, a worker from Monterrey, Mexico, has lived in California for six years. Before coming to Stockton, he said, he worked in San Francisco, where he sought care at clinics when he needed it. On Thursday, he waited in line to have his vision examined. "I think my sight is good," he said. "I'm going to find out."
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