Farmworker Prescription Coverage

[Guest guest]

That's terrible! three years ago, when I was living

in Pennsylvania, I used to go into the camps to give

workers rides to clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, etc.

I provided them with transportation and translation

services. And at that time the particular group i was

helping migrated from Florida to Pennsylvania and back

again. Some of them would get things, like sinus

infections, right after leaving Florida but they would

not seek treatment until three months later (when the

sinus infection had swollen up their face and had

become very dangerous) because they couldn't afford to

pay the fees for health service and medicine in other

states. They would actually wait until they got into

Pennsylvania to look for help. I don't know if this

group went through North Carolina, and I don't know if

Pennsylvania's policies for migrant workers (don't

ask/don't tell, all expenses covered except dental and

eye care) have changed. But I do know that if North

Carolina doesn't change back to their former policy a

lot of workers will simply stop going for medical

help, and they will become very sick. Does anyone

know if there is a way to try and convince NC to

reverse this change???

--- Jo Ellen Hirsch <jehmd@...> wrote:

> Colleagues --

>

> Yesterday I discovered that with end-of-year budget

> decisions, the State of NC has eliminated the

> subsidy that formerly provided prescription

> medications to migrant farmworkers for $3.00 per

> prescription (through certain pharmacies). I

> haven't been in this field (or even in this state)

> for long. Does anyone have any perspective on this

> decision? Any action committees? Is this happening

> in other states?

>

> Jo Ellen Hirsch - physician, Snow Hill Medical

> Center - Snow Hill, NC

>

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

I can confirm that the situation here in Florida is very grim for anyone who is

" undocumented " . Not only is there no coverage, outside of family planning, but

even the free clinics in the Tampa area stopped accepting them as patients

shortly after I relocated here in June. Even health problems related to family

planning such as an embedded IUD, or an followup of abnormal Pap smears (which

one is required to perform to dispense birth control) are not covered.

Lily Kay CNM FNP ARNP

On Wed, 2 Jan 2002, Louise Tokarsky wrote:

> That's terrible! three years ago, when I was living

> in Pennsylvania, I used to go into the camps to give

> workers rides to clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, etc.

> I provided them with transportation and translation

> services. And at that time the particular group i was

> helping migrated from Florida to Pennsylvania and back

> again. Some of them would get things, like sinus

> infections, right after leaving Florida but they would

> not seek treatment until three months later (when the

> sinus infection had swollen up their face and had

> become very dangerous) because they couldn't afford to

> pay the fees for health service and medicine in other

> states. They would actually wait until they got into

> Pennsylvania to look for help. I don't know if this

> group went through North Carolina, and I don't know if

> Pennsylvania's policies for migrant workers (don't

> ask/don't tell, all expenses covered except dental and

> eye care) have changed. But I do know that if North

> Carolina doesn't change back to their former policy a

> lot of workers will simply stop going for medical

> help, and they will become very sick. Does anyone

> know if there is a way to try and convince NC to

> reverse this change???

>

> --- Jo Ellen Hirsch <jehmd@...> wrote:

> > Colleagues --

> >

> > Yesterday I discovered that with end-of-year budget

> > decisions, the State of NC has eliminated the

> > subsidy that formerly provided prescription

> > medications to migrant farmworkers for $3.00 per

> > prescription (through certain pharmacies). I

> > haven't been in this field (or even in this state)

> > for long. Does anyone have any perspective on this

> > decision? Any action committees? Is this happening

> > in other states?

> >

> > Jo Ellen Hirsch - physician, Snow Hill Medical

> > Center - Snow Hill, NC

> >

>

>

> __________________________________________________

>

[Guest guest]

This brings up a good point... regarding the other

emails concerning the rate of arrests related to

alcohol use for migrant workers. I swear that it has

to do with levels of depression and stress. I say

this because I saw a lot of drinking in the camps in

Pennsylvania... but almost all of it took place

whenever there were several days of rain in a row (as

the guys weren't allowed to pick tomatoes when it's

wet, therefore there were several days together

without work, and hence without pay). Or, if the crop

had gone bad, or all the harvesting was done and they

were just stuck for a while without work... usually

that's when the drinking started. But especially

during the rainy days. And this is what they did:

they would pull their money together, go to the

grocery store and the liquor store, buy as much meat

and alcohol as they could, and have a giant type of

cookout. They said that they did this whenever

everyone felt depressed about the lack of work... said

it gave them something nice to do. And at these types

of events they would drink a lot. So, if this is any

type of a guess, I would say that anytime a group of

workers is out of work and depressed that they would

drink a lot. Although, this might be something that

is particular to the camps in Pennsylvania, as those

camps at the time I was there were about 33% Mixteco

(people speaking the Aztec dialect of Mixtec, from

Oaxaca). So maybe they are not representative of a

typical camp.

I also think that lack of good health care has a

lot to do with the drinking. Sometimes people who

were really sick and could not receive effective

medical treatment turned to alcohol to deaden constant

physical pain.

Louise Tokarsky-Unda

graduate student of anthropology

--- lilyan@... wrote:

> I can confirm that the situation here in Florida is

> very grim for anyone who is " undocumented " . Not

> only is there no coverage, outside of family

> planning, but even the free clinics in the Tampa

> area stopped accepting them as patients shortly

> after I relocated here in June. Even health

> problems related to family planning such as an

> embedded IUD, or an followup of abnormal Pap smears

> (which one is required to perform to dispense birth

> control) are not covered.

>

> Lily Kay CNM FNP ARNP

>

>

> On Wed, 2 Jan 2002, Louise Tokarsky wrote:

>

> > That's terrible! three years ago, when I was

> living

> > in Pennsylvania, I used to go into the camps to

> give

> > workers rides to clinics, hospitals, pharmacies,

> etc.

> > I provided them with transportation and

> translation

> > services. And at that time the particular group i

> was

> > helping migrated from Florida to Pennsylvania and

> back

> > again. Some of them would get things, like sinus

> > infections, right after leaving Florida but they

> would

> > not seek treatment until three months later (when

> the

> > sinus infection had swollen up their face and had

> > become very dangerous) because they couldn't

> afford to

> > pay the fees for health service and medicine in

> other

> > states. They would actually wait until they got

> into

> > Pennsylvania to look for help. I don't know if

> this

> > group went through North Carolina, and I don't

> know if

> > Pennsylvania's policies for migrant workers (don't

> > ask/don't tell, all expenses covered except dental

> and

> > eye care) have changed. But I do know that if

> North

> > Carolina doesn't change back to their former

> policy a

> > lot of workers will simply stop going for medical

> > help, and they will become very sick. Does anyone

> > know if there is a way to try and convince NC to

> > reverse this change???

> >

> > --- Jo Ellen Hirsch <jehmd@...> wrote:

> > > Colleagues --

> > >

> > > Yesterday I discovered that with end-of-year

> budget

> > > decisions, the State of NC has eliminated the

> > > subsidy that formerly provided prescription

> > > medications to migrant farmworkers for $3.00 per

> > > prescription (through certain pharmacies). I

> > > haven't been in this field (or even in this

> state)

> > > for long. Does anyone have any perspective on

> this

> > > decision? Any action committees? Is this

> happening

> > > in other states?

> > >

> > > Jo Ellen Hirsch - physician, Snow Hill Medical

> > > Center - Snow Hill, NC

> > >

> >

> >

> > __________________________________________________

> >

[Guest guest]

Sound like good theories to me...

Lucila

Lucila Nerenberg, M.D.

Research Investigator, Addiction Research Center

Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan

400 E. Eisenhower Pkwy, Suite 2A

Ann Arbor, MI 48108-3318

Tel: 734- 615-6060 (ext 315 as of 1/10/02)

Fax: 734- 615-6085

email: nerenber@...

>>> monjagitana@... 01/03/02 09:58AM >>>

This brings up a good point... regarding the other

emails concerning the rate of arrests related to

alcohol use for migrant workers. I swear that it has

to do with levels of depression and stress. I say

this because I saw a lot of drinking in the camps in

Pennsylvania... but almost all of it took place

whenever there were several days of rain in a row (as

the guys weren't allowed to pick tomatoes when it's

wet, therefore there were several days together

without work, and hence without pay). Or, if the crop

had gone bad, or all the harvesting was done and they

were just stuck for a while without work... usually

that's when the drinking started. But especially

during the rainy days. And this is what they did:

they would pull their money together, go to the

grocery store and the liquor store, buy as much meat

and alcohol as they could, and have a giant type of

cookout. They said that they did this whenever

everyone felt depressed about the lack of work... said

it gave them something nice to do. And at these types

of events they would drink a lot. So, if this is any

type of a guess, I would say that anytime a group of

workers is out of work and depressed that they would

drink a lot. Although, this might be something that

is particular to the camps in Pennsylvania, as those

camps at the time I was there were about 33% Mixteco

(people speaking the Aztec dialect of Mixtec, from

Oaxaca). So maybe they are not representative of a

typical camp.

I also think that lack of good health care has a

lot to do with the drinking. Sometimes people who

were really sick and could not receive effective

medical treatment turned to alcohol to deaden constant

physical pain.

Louise Tokarsky-Unda

graduate student of anthropology

--- lilyan@... wrote:

> I can confirm that the situation here in Florida is

> very grim for anyone who is " undocumented " . Not

> only is there no coverage, outside of family

> planning, but even the free clinics in the Tampa

> area stopped accepting them as patients shortly

> after I relocated here in June. Even health

> problems related to family planning such as an

> embedded IUD, or an followup of abnormal Pap smears

> (which one is required to perform to dispense birth

> control) are not covered.

>

> Lily Kay CNM FNP ARNP

>

>

> On Wed, 2 Jan 2002, Louise Tokarsky wrote:

>

> > That's terrible! three years ago, when I was

> living

> > in Pennsylvania, I used to go into the camps to

> give

> > workers rides to clinics, hospitals, pharmacies,

> etc.

> > I provided them with transportation and

> translation

> > services. And at that time the particular group i

> was

> > helping migrated from Florida to Pennsylvania and

> back

> > again. Some of them would get things, like sinus

> > infections, right after leaving Florida but they

> would

> > not seek treatment until three months later (when

> the

> > sinus infection had swollen up their face and had

> > become very dangerous) because they couldn't

> afford to

> > pay the fees for health service and medicine in

> other

> > states. They would actually wait until they got

> into

> > Pennsylvania to look for help. I don't know if

> this

> > group went through North Carolina, and I don't

> know if

> > Pennsylvania's policies for migrant workers (don't

> > ask/don't tell, all expenses covered except dental

> and

> > eye care) have changed. But I do know that if

> North

> > Carolina doesn't change back to their former

> policy a

> > lot of workers will simply stop going for medical

> > help, and they will become very sick. Does anyone

> > know if there is a way to try and convince NC to

> > reverse this change???

> >

> > --- Jo Ellen Hirsch <jehmd@...> wrote:

> > > Colleagues --

> > >

> > > Yesterday I discovered that with end-of-year

> budget

> > > decisions, the State of NC has eliminated the

> > > subsidy that formerly provided prescription

> > > medications to migrant farmworkers for $3.00 per

> > > prescription (through certain pharmacies). I

> > > haven't been in this field (or even in this

> state)

> > > for long. Does anyone have any perspective on

> this

> > > decision? Any action committees? Is this

> happening

> > > in other states?

> > >

> > > Jo Ellen Hirsch - physician, Snow Hill Medical

> > > Center - Snow Hill, NC

> > >

> >

> >

> > __________________________________________________

> >

[Guest guest]

Dear Colleagues,

I sent this message a week ago, but it doesn't seem to have been

posted, so here goes again...

Jo Ellen, and all,

North Carolina has a program called Migrant Fee for Service, which

reimburses private providers and dentists who serve migrant farmworkers,

at the medicaid rate. It also covers prescriptions for a co-pay of

$3.00. The program is funded through NC legislation, and has not been

eliminated, but did run out of money for the remainder of this fiscal

year, ending June 30. The state's budget crisis made any additional

funds hard to find. New funds will be in the coffer on July 1st, 2002.

The program is administered by the Division of Public Health, of the NC

Dept. of Health and Human Services. There is considerable concern here

in the state, and the NC Farmworker Health Alliance (a statewide

alliance of agencies and individuals who advocate for farmworkers) has

been looking at ways to shore up this vital resource in future years,

and to control damage for farmworkers and providers during the upcoming

months. A letter has been sent to all providers and pharmacies to ask

for their support and cooperation during the months until the program

reopens on July 1st. Hope this clarifies the issue a bit. Dawn

Dawn Burtt, RN, MPH

Migrant Stream Coordinator

North Carolina Primary Health Care Association

875 Walnut Street, Suite 150

Cary, NC 27511

Voice (919) 297-0014

Fax (919) 469-5701

Cellular (919) 801-5560

e-mail: burttd@...

[Guest guest]

Dawn Burtt,

Could you please give me some sources where I can inquire about the historical beginnings of NC's Farm Worker Health Alliance, and some of their activities subsequent to the formation of that alliance? Does this group have any authority for policy making and do they have access to a budget? Is it an alliance that has statewide government support and sanction? Thanks.

Narda Tolentino - Oregon

[Guest guest]

Dear Narda,

The NC Farmworker Health Alliance was formed in 1994 and is a

collaborative statewide effort to maximize the health of migrant and

seasonal farmworkers in NC. Prior to 1994, health care delivery to

farmworkers was fragmented with providers and agencies across the state

delivering health care to this underserved population, most often acting

independently. Led by the NC Primary Health Care Association, the NC

Office of Research, Demonstrations and Rural Health Development, and the

Division of Public Health, NCDHHS, with guidance from a consultant from

the Bureau of Primary Health Care, Alliance members underwent a

strategic planning process to define a shared leadership structure,

mission statement, vision and activities for five years. One mission

identified was the need to streamline and consolidate the activities of

health care providers and advocates across the state. It is NCDHHS.

Membership includes over 50 individuals and agencies, all interested in

ensuring the health of farmworkers. The Alliance operates with the

oversite of an Advisory Group for migrant and seasonal farmworkers.

and has Contacts from any of these agencies would be happy to provide

you with more information about the history and current activities of

the Alliance.

-----Original Message-----

From: Narda@... [mailto:Narda@...]

Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2002 9:30 PM

Subject: Re: [ ] Farmworker Prescription Coverage

Dawn Burtt,

Could you please give me some sources where I can inquire about the

historical beginnings of NC's Farm Worker Health Alliance, and some of

their activities subsequent to the formation of that alliance? Does

this group have any authority for policy making and do they have access

to a budget? Is it an alliance that has statewide government support

and sanction? Thanks.

Narda Tolentino - Oregon

To Post a message, send it to: Groups

To Unsubscribe, send a blank message to:

-unsubscribe

[Guest guest]

Dear Narda,

Thank you for your interest in the NC Farmworker Health Alliance. The

Alliance was formed in 1994 and is a collaborative statewide effort to

maximize the health of migrant and seasonal farmworkers in NC. Prior to

1994, health care delivery to farmworkers was fragmented with private

and public providers and agencies across the state delivering health

care to this underserved population, most often acting independently.

This fragmentation was clearly affecting farmworkers' access to health

care, and ultimately, their health. The formation of the Alliance was

an effort to begin streamlining and consolidating the activities of

health care providers and advocates in different areas as a means to

improving health care access for farmworkers.

The three administering agencies of the Alliance are the NC Primary

Health Care Association, the NC Office of Research, Demonstrations and

Rural Health Development, and the Division of Public Health, NCDHHS.

With this leadership struture, rural health, migrant/community health,

and public health movements are represented. (The Migrant

Fee-for-Service program is managed by the Division of Public Health.).

The Alliance operates under a relatively small budget, has no paid

staff, and relies heavily on inkind donations primarily from the three

administering agencies and other Alliance members. An Administrative

Oversight Committee (now called the Advisory Group) performs

administrative and governance-type functions for the Alliance, which

include convening regular meetings to discuss priorities, organize

activities, etc. To date, Alliance activities have focused on such

things as: increasing research involving farmworkers; working to

improve the delivery of comprehensive and culturally competent statewide

health and dental services; increasing farmworker involvement;

developing and shaping state/federal policies; and broadening support

for farmworker health programs at local, state, regional and national

levels. The Alliance has developed a number of products including a

Farmworker Health Resource Library, Farmworker Health Outreach Manual,

farmworker health fact sheets, Outreach Training Program, Interpreter

Training Curriculum and much more.

For more information about the NC Farmworker Health Alliance, its

history, current operations, or how to begin an Alliance in your own

state, please contact any one of the following:

NC Primary Health Care Association, 875 Walnut Street, Suite 150, Cary,

NC 27511 Contact: Triantafillou,

Migrant Health Specialist: 919/297-0066 voice, 919/469-1263 fax,

triantafillous@... <mailto:triantafillous@...> .

NC Office of Research, Demonstrations and Rural Health Development, 311

Ashe Avenue, 2009 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-2009

Contact: Caroline Whitehead Doherty, Special Populations Program

Coordinator: 919/733-2040 voice, 919/733-2971 fax,

caroline.whitehead@... <mailto:caroline.whitehead@...>

Migrant Health Program, NC Division of Public Health, NC DHHS, 1915 Mail

Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1915 Contact: Griswold, Program

Manager: 919/715-3113 voice, 919/715-3144 fax

<mailto:john.griswold@...> john.griswold@...

You may also want to view our website <http://www.ncphca.org/>

www.ncphca.org which provides an overview of the NC Farmworker Health

Alliance.

I hope this information is useful,

A. Triantafillou, MPH

Migrant Health Specialist

NC Primary Health Care Association

875 Walnut Street, Suite 150

Cary, North Carolina 27511

919/297-0066 voice

919/469-1263 fax

triantafillous@... <mailto:triantafillous@...>

Original Message-----

From: Narda@... [mailto:Narda@...]

Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2002 9:30 PM

Subject: Re: [ ] Farmworker Prescription Coverage

Dawn Burtt,

Could you please give me some sources where I can inquire about the

historical beginnings of NC's Farm Worker Health Alliance, and some of

their activities subsequent to the formation of that alliance? Does

this group have any authority for policy making and do they have access

to a budget? Is it an alliance that has statewide government support

and sanction? Thanks.

Narda Tolentino - Oregon

To Post a message, send it to: Groups

To Unsubscribe, send a blank message to:

-unsubscribe