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This summer, a new study at Portland State University, will partner graduate students with medical professionals from Mexico to address the health care needs of migrant farm workers in Oregon.

Every year, 10,000 Mexicans arrive in Oregon. Due to the lack of access to health care, this highly productive community has some of the worst health outcomes, including diabetes, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis.

Graduate students from PSU’s School of Social Work (SSW), including one student who is a former migrant worker, will work on the Migrant Health Outreach Project in collaboration with Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center and the Universidad Popular Autonoma del Estado de Puebla (UPAEP). The project will pilot innovative health education and self-management interventions, provide culturally appropriate practice guidelines, and add significant knowledge about the incidence of chronic disease among the Oregon farm worker population. The project is made possible by funding from the Oregon Community Foundation.

“We are very excited to work with the staff from the Portland State University School of Social Work on this program,” said Chris Shine, interim executive director, Virginia Garcia Memorial Foundation. “With this program we will be able to develop and implement new popular education strategies to help our patients learn about the health issues that are affecting them. Additionally, the medical professionals from Mexico joining in this effort will help us undertake the first comprehensive health evaluation in the migrant farm worker camps of Washington County.”

The Health Worker Outreach Project begins with a seminar for students held June 25–August 3, to brief them in the latest research for working in multiprofessional and multicultural health service delivery contexts. The second component will place UPAEP and PSU Social Work graduate students in teams at various Virginia Garcia field clinics throughout Washington and Yamhill Counties, held July 2–August 3. During the week students will spend one day with the mobile clinic in the migrant camps, one day at an established clinic site and another day collecting data on chronic health conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure and depression. Each student will complete 120 hours of work in the field, for a total of 1,200 hours of service.

“This will be a great opportunity for our students to develop their abilities to work across cultures and languages,” said Ted Donlan, assistant professor, School of Social Work. “I look forward to developing long-term collaborative relationships with my colleagues from Mexico who are as committed to improving the health and well-being of this population as I am.”

Those benefiting from the summer study include the migrant farm workers themselves, who will receive medical provider and eligibility information. Also, the academic researchers will gather survey results to learn about migrant worker health problems and concerns, how their health beliefs and knowledge are shaped, and how they interpret the medical information they receive.

Student benefits will extend the classroom experience by working in a multiprofessional environment with people from a different culture, help an underserved population, see the “non-textbook” aspect of the workers situation, while further developing their Spanish.

Members of the media wishing to speak with Ted Donlan should contact Angela Abel, Office of University Communications, at 503-725-8794 or adabel@pdx.edu.

Migrant Workers
According to the United States Public Health Service, there are an estimated 3.5 million migrant and seasonal farm workers in the United States including men, women, and children who work in all fifty states during peak periods of agriculture. A migrant farm worker is an individual who moves from a permanent place of residence in order to be employed in agricultural work. (In contrast, seasonal farm workers perform similar work but do not move from their primary residence).

Migrant farm workers tend to be either newly arrived immigrants or individuals with limited skills or opportunities. Although American agriculture depends on the labor of these workers, employment is usually of short duration and requires frequent moves. Migrant farm workers are predominantly Latino and many speak little or no English.

Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center Migrant Camp Outreach Program
Through the Migrant Camp Outreach Program the Center provides medical treatment and health education to migrant and seasonal farm workers living and working in local migrant labor camps. From May through August the Center sends a team of doctors, nurses, dentists, and health educators to the camps to provide on-site treatment and education. The medical team utilizes a mobile clinic van through Medical Teams International. Health Educators provide education on sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, pesticide exposure, and prevention of work related injuries.

The Oregon Community Foundation
Established in 1973, the Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) is a statewide nonprofit organization that administers permanent charitable funds established through gifts and bequests from individuals, families, businesses and other organizations. OCF provides a variety of fund and gift options to help Oregonians make a difference and works with donors to develop their charitable goals and giving. Through this philanthropic giving, a wide variety of critical needs in the state are being met each year. OCF currently manages over 1,166 permanent funds with assets over $825 million. For more information visit www.ocf1.org/.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (#07-075)

Source: Ted Donlan (503-725-4712)
School of Social Work