Migrant Health Newsline, May-June, 2010
The 19th Annual Western Migrant Stream Forum was held February 11 – 14, 2010 in Seattle, Washington. Nearly 200 migrant health professionals and advocates came together for education and training, information and resource sharing, coalition building, and policy development. Among the multitude of topics addressed during the conference were: immigration, community organizing, health care access for indigenous farmworkers, occupational health and primary care, chronic disease management, the 2010 Census, and migrant-related HIT strategies.
This year, the Northwest Regional Primary Care Association (NWRPCA) presented a new format, which organized the conference into three intensive tracks: Health Care Delivery, Outreach & Health Education, and Policy & Advocacy. The purpose of the track format was to provide participants with an opportunity to learn key concepts as well as tangible take-away strategies, and also to allow for greater discussion of these concepts and strategies via a facilitated planning group session. Each of the tracks began with a framework session, and the subsequent educational workshops presented examples of models and best practices. Participants were enthusiastic about this new format, as evidenced by the high level of commitment and terrific ideas generated during the planning group sessions.
Attendees in the Health Care Delivery track addressed issues of workforce development as well as organizational awareness and understanding of migrant health programs. Outreach and Health Education discussed strategies for more fully integrating community health workers and promotores de salud into the health care delivery system, including models for financing and sustaining these programs. And participants in the Policy and Advocacy track explored strategies to more accurately identify farmworkers, develop models for mobile healthcare services and implement policies that address health equity and access for indigenous farmworkers.
The theme for this year’s Forum–Nuestra Comunidad, Nuestro Futuro–Overcoming Barriers, Working for Change–was present throughout the conference, and perhaps most notably during the Opening Plenary, which featured a panel addressing health care reform, immigration reform, and the impact that these potential reforms would have on the migrant and seasonal farmworker population. The three speakers included Roger Rosenthal of the Migrant Legal Action Program, Dr. Julian Perez of Sea Mar Community Health Centers, and Rosalinda Guillen of Community to Community Development.
The central message that emerged from the panel is that health care reform and immigration reform are not mutually exclusive topics. Each of the presenters provided revealing facts, data and personal stories that emphasized the the importance of addressing the social, political, geographic and economic determinants that lead to healthcare disparities in the migrant and seasonal farmworker population.
Another aspect of the conference that resonated with the theme was the screening of the documentary Frozen Dreams. This extraordinarily powerful documentary chronicles a community’s response to the 2007 Del Monte ICE raid in Portland, Oregon. Members from the Committee for Solidarity and Mutual Support, which is the group that emerged in response to the raid, were present to share their story with participants.
Following the screening, participants had an opportunity to discuss immigration policies, the roots of migration, and strategies for organizing to bring about reform. Despite the obvious challenges, attendees left the discussion feeling energized, recognizing the importance of advocacy and involvement in these important social justice and human rights issues.
Finally, the conference closed with an address from longtime migrant health advocate, Dr. Tina Castanares. Tina’s presentation meditated on the changes that she has seen in migrant health throughout the 30 years she has been involved in the movement, but also reflected on the one constant that has endured: social justice. In her own words, “Social justice concerns–that’s really what it comes to; social justice for farmworkers
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