Farmworker Coalition Connects Individuals with Health Services

By Melanie Slone

The Farmworker Coalition fights for farmworkers in the North County to get the health care they deserve. Launched in the early 2000s, the Coalition was to learn “about farmworkers, assess their needs, and figure out ways to advance and improve their health conditions,” says Dr. Arcela Nuñez of Universidad Popular.

At that time, there was “very limited awareness about the needs of farmworker communities,” she says. “Farmworkers continue to be a vital sector in our region. I think people don’t realize the numbers of farmworkers that live in North County.”

Today, the Coalition is led by Universidad Popular, VCC, TrueCare, and health project leaders from Cal State San Marcos.

In partnership with community clinics, the Coalition provided most of the health access for farmworkers during the Covid-19 pandemic, including access to vaccines. “We were going to the farm worker sites, the nurseries, a lot of the ranchos, all the big places in North County,” says Francisco Ramirez of Universidad Popular. “Farmworkers have long been marginalized in access to healthcare, and the Covid-19 pandemic only made these inequities more visible.”

Local Clinics

The Farmworker Coalition does not provide direct services but is “an advocacy coalition with the goal of helping to better coordinate the services or to identify where the gaps were, but people have to go directly to the clinic” and register, Dr. Nuñez explains.

The clinics are geographically distributed throughout the North County and provide affordable care. They have a sliding fee scale based on income and on state programs or federal programs.

Moreover, mobile health clinics visit nurseries, farms, and some very remote regions, says Dr. Nuñez. Individuals should sign up with the clinics to access these mobile services.

Facing Cuts and Pressure at the Federal Level

Local clinics are funded through federal dollars and may see cuts under the current administration, notes Dr. Nuñez.

Individuals are also fearful their data may be shared with the federal government. “Many individuals are considering having their coverage on their own and terminating because of the fear of immigration consequences,” she says.

“I’m sure local community clinics will be safeguarding the information to the extent that that they can,” she says. But “there is increased pressure to access personal confidential information from all the agencies, including the healthcare providers, so it’s challenging.”

Despite these challenges, clinics will continue to provide services. Anthony White, Vice President of Government and Community Affairs for TrueCare, tells us, “We have no plans of changing what we’re already doing. A lot of the services we provide free of charge” with or without Medi-Cal…As a community health center, we care for anybody, regardless of their immigration status, their insurance status, how much income they have.”

Farmworker individuals and families are encouraged to contact their local clinics to ask questions, access care, and get follow-up care. They can also speak with the growers they work for to set up clinic visits.

Community Clinics that provide health services to the farmworker community