HEAL Class 3/7/12

We had the privilege of having Andrea Hinojosa from Southeast Georgia Communities Project speak about her work and experience with migrant workers in rural Georgia. Some of the topics included:


Reasons that migrant workers do not seek health care

1. Fear of having no ID
2. Lack of transportation
3. Language barrier
4. Can't afford Rx
5. Follow up appointments are not feasible
6. Uninsured-no ID
7. Lack of financial resources
8. Inability for the children who crossover to get into school and become practicing health care workers themselves because of immigration laws
   

Care is delivered to migrant workers by actually traveling into the field

When giving patients ideas/instructions for better health management, look for ways of modifying lifestyle rather than complete changes because culture cannot be taken away

• Example, have patients decrease the amount of tortillas eaten and slightly alter the way food is prepared

Solutions

1. Educational solutions: scholarships and funds
2. Develop trust with the gatekeepers of the migrant community such as the boss and middleman on the farms
3. Be positive and understand their needs
4. Welcome patients and spend time with migrants coming into the community
5. Express warmth and welcome with body language and smiles
6. Keep confidentiality, especially with care given in the fields
7. Volunteer and gather basic materials
8. Educate your community on existing and upcoming laws

We also had the privilege of having Helping Hands and Dr. Adrianna Foster speak about their program and caring for the mental health needs of the homeless population. Topics covered included:

Specific problems in the homeless population such as:

• high rates of substance abuse and other physical problems and lower life expectancy
  
• the cycle of prison to halfway houses to clinics to crime and back to prison again

Helping Hands offers services and referrals such as:

• Treatment for substance abuse
• housing
• job placement
• screenings and referrals
• data collection

Please share your thoughts/comments!