AHEAD AZ Team Participates in Farmworker Health Fair Event
In December, the Advancing Health Equity, Addressing Disparities in Arizona (AHEAD AZ) team participated in the 29th Anniversary Farmworker Health Fair Event. This event is organized by the non-profit organization Campesinos Sin Fronteras, in San Luis, Yuma County, Arizona. AHEAD AZ and 50 other participating organizations provided resources to support the health well-being of farmworkers.
This community event, with food and music, honors the contributions of farmworkers to the United States (U.S). This event also serves as a hub, providing resources and services, such as health screenings and health education. In 2022, a total of 2,500 people attended. This event occurs early in the morning, 2-6 a.m., to meet the needs of the farmers, who then take buses to work in the fields later in the morning.
During the winter season, thousands of seasonal farmworkers travel from Mexico to southwestern Arizona to plant, harvest, water, and package 80 to 95 percent of leafy greens, which then get shipped across the U.S. for people to consume.
The AHEAD AZ team spoke with several farmworkers including Maria Tellez who is a seasonal farmer that resides in Mexicali, Mexico. For seven years, Ms. Tellez has taken the bus each morning at 2:00 am from Calexico, California to come to work in the fields watering and harvesting lettuce in San Luis, Arizona. “This is the only time of the year when I get my immunizations and glucose and blood pressure checkups because I work all day and I have no access to care near home”, Ms. Tellez said.
AHEAD AZ shared culturally relevant health education materials and other health related resources (i.e., bus passes) to foster wellness among farmworkers and their families. The AHEAD AZ team prepared self-care packages, that included supplies, such as gloves, sunscreen, a COVID-19 prevention and testing kit, and other health related items. AHEAD AZ also provided educational resources on heat prevention/protection, personal and wound care, and COVID-19 prevention. Although these packages are short-term solutions, the event provides much-needed access to critical health promotion and disease prevention services and brings together the community to support and celebrate this community.