Health care, education top issues for farm workers

  Access to care and education are the issues that need the most improvement for farm workers of Yuma County, according to survey results found by the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health of the University of Arizona.

  The study was done by collecting data from 300 homes in Somerton, Gadsden, and San Luis. The study also held 200 opportunistic surveys in crop fields around Yuma County.

 Forty-one percent of farm workers surveyed in the opportunistic survey said they did not have any medical insurance in the past 12 months.

  The study also found that 45 percent of farm workers only completed an education up to the sixth grade. Twenty-seven percent only received an education between seventh grade and ninth grade, and only 10 percent were high school graduates.

  "It was interesting to talk to the male farm workers because they were very articulate and very aware of their situation, although many of them would like to move on and receive training other than farm work. But they were all aware of the fact that they need to speak better English," said Cecilia Rosales, associate professor of the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Heath at the University of Arizona. "That's where the education comes in and they all made attempts at learning the language but they find a lot of impediments, a lot of barriers."

  She talked about a male farm worker who told his story about how he once applied for English course and paid out of his own money. But when he received his next unemployment check, he found out that his check amount was decreased because he was being penalized for taking a course and not actively searching for a job.

 The survey results were part of the study presented to a recent binational forum that acted as a community workshop aimed at bringing up the binational challenges and solutions to improving farmworker health at the U.S.-Mexico Border.

  The survey also collected data on demographics, job history, health status, access to services, use of public services, stress and the type of rapport with immigration officials.

  "The purpose of the forum was to bring together different binational organizations from across the border and learn about farm workers' health on both side of the borders," said Emma Torres, director of Campesinos Sin Fronteras, a farmworker advocacy group that took part in the binational forum.

  "They talked about migration within Mexico, and of course those from Arizona talked about migrant workers in Arizona and their health. They talked about studies they have done and research they have done in reference to their health status, social status, economic status and the overall impact they have on our community and reference to their contributions."

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Stephanie Sanchez can be reached at ssanchez@yumasun.com or 539-6847.