HANOVER (Pennsylvania) EVENING SUN

February 24, 2008

Health care for farm workers focus of conference

By STEVE MARRONI
Evening Sun Reporter

Issues with migrant workers in Adams County and statewide are changing.

Health concerns, the immigration debate and an increasingly less migrant population are changing the landscape in the area's fruit producing and agricultural society.

To help farmers and health-care workers stay ahead of curve on these issues, an upcoming conference is being held in Gettysburg.

The 2008 Migrant and Immigrant Health in Rural Pennsylvania Conference, hosted by the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health, the state departments of health and agriculture and the Penn State Outreach and Cooperative Extension, is set for March 25 and 26.

This is the sixth year of the conference, and the second year it was set for Adams County. Each year has a different theme of issues that are covered.

"We're looking at the larger picture this year," said Lisa Davis, director of the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health.

Guest speakers will discuss the impact of migrant farm workers on Pennsylvania's agricultural economy, immigration reform and what it means for this area, and there will be a special focus on the youth of migrant farm workers.

In an area often reliant on migrant labor, fruit growers and some area industries face these rapid changes, Davis said. A migrant population is becoming less migrant as many work in fruit-processing and poultry plants. Many farmers are concerned with immigration issues and legality as that debate rages on.

The children of migrant workers, Davis said, are often caught between two worlds. Their parents are tied to their home country and cultures, while the children go to school, growing up in an American environment. Part of the conference will focus on the children and their dual lives.

The health perspective will focus on safety and sanitation issues. Most of this will be geared toward fruit growers, and give them ways of practicing preventative techniques like keeping hand-wash stations near where workers eat.

Other concerns to be addressed will include health care for migrants not normally covered, disease prevention and maintenance of chronic illnesses.

"The first problem is access to health care," said Dr. Carol Vidal, who has been studying Hispanic issues for Hanover Hospital.

Many live in migrant camps and have no transportation. Even if transportation is not an issue, most are uninsured and have difficulty navigating the health-care system and what's available to them.

One source for health care is the Keystone Farmworker Programs out of Gettysburg. It's a grantee through the state that provides access to health care for migrant workers.

Another is a program through WellSpan. It's funded through community donations, and is intended as a source of some health care for the uninsured.

Michele Marchese works with the program, which brings a van in Adams County to Biglerville and New Oxford several times per month. Many of those seeking services -- about 95 percent - are Latino or Hispanic.

Marchese said they can take care of acute problems, like a cold or a sore throat.

Often, some will come in with more chronic problems, like diabetes or high blood pressure.

"What we try to do then, initially, is treat them and work with them for the first couple of visits," she said. They help them with their medications and with maintaining their problem. After a few visits, they try to find a primary health care provider who can work with and monitor the patient.

Some illnesses are treated with medications, and there is some use of generic prescription medication when necessary. Generally, there is one registered nurse on staff at the sites.

The language barrier is usually the biggest challenge, she said.

When patients visit, the nurse usually talks to them, and encourages some preventative measures.

"We always stress washing your hands. Exercise and diet, of course, are things we look at," she said.

One of the biggest concerns, though, remains finding physicians for the population, many of whom are uninsured.

The upcoming conference is intended to cover these issues, and more.

"We try to target the two communities, agriculture and health care," Davis said about the conference. "We provide a neutral voice for both communities to come together."