Program History, Community Served and Target Population. The South Carolina Primary Health Care Association became the grantee for the South Carolina Migrant Health Program (SCMHP or Program) in October of 2004. The mission of the SCMHP is to improve the health status of migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their families (MSFW) in South Carolina by providing and promoting culturally and linguistically competent health care and health related services.

Services Provided, Delivery Method and Staffing. The SCMHP served as the health care home for 1,321 patients representing 2,329 medical and 283 dental visits in calendar year 2006. Program services are provided through contractual arrangements with local fee-for-service providers and directly through the operation of seasonal, evening clinics, and are targeted to areas with large concentrations of farmworkers and where there are no Community Health Center sites with funding allocated specifically for migrant health. The SCMHP provides primary care (family practice, OB/GYN, and pediatric), dental, ancillary (laboratory and radiology), emergency care, and pharmacy services. In addition, the Program’s scope of service includes enabling services such as transportation, translation/interpretation, health screening/assessment, health and social services referrals, follow-up, basic counseling, health education, and health advocacy.

Twenty-two contract providers render health care services to farmworkers and their families statewide. These providers constitute the “voucher” component of the SCMHP. In addition, primary care services are provided at evening and migrant camp clinics on a seasonal basis (from May to October/November) in Spartanburg and York counties by the Spartanburg Migrant Health Project (SpMHP), which is the direct-delivery component of the SCMHP. SpMHP clinic sites are staffed by a part-time Clinical Director/MD; Regional Site Coordinator; part-time Clinical Nursing Coordinator; Patient Services Representative; and part-time, seasonal clinicians (a medical doctor and two registered nurses) and outreach workers. Additional program personnel consists of the Department Head for Programs and Health Policy/SCMHP Director, Outreach/Administrative Manager, and administrative support staff housed at the Administrative Office in Columbia, SC, and part-time, seasonal outreach workers placed in targeted areas in the state.

Special Needs of the Population and Effective Program Response to Identified Issues. The farmworker community continues to encounter multiple barriers to accessing health care services. Most of the farmworkers in the state is of Hispanic/Latin origin (85%) and unable to adequately communicate in English. The nature of their work involves long hours at remote, hard-to-reach fields, and they frequently have limited access to transportation. Furthermore, they are largely indigent, uninsured, and ineligible for Medicaid and other public benefits—factors that adversely impact the population’s health seeking behavior.

In a constant effort to effectively address the myriad of issues faced by the MSFW, the SCMHP will continue to provide comprehensive clinical and enabling services that are designed to improve the accessibility of quality, culturally-appropriate health care services and reduce health disparities for the community. Moreover, partnerships with pertinent local, state, regional, and national collaborators will be maintained and developed, and farmworker needs assessed on a continuous basis to proactively respond to issues as they are identified.

For further information pertaining to the SCMHP or farmworker health, please do not hesitate to contact Carlo J. Victoriano by phone at 803-788-2778 or e-mail at carlov@scphca.org.

MIGRANT HEALTH PROGRAM FLYER: Click Here

MIGRANT HEALTH PROGRAM PROVIDER LIST: Click Here

MIGRANT HEALTH PROGRAM CLINIC LIST: Click Here

Useful Links:
Farmworker Health Services, Inc.
Migrant Clinicians Network
Migrant Health Promotion
National Center for Farmworker Health
National Rural Health Association
North Carolina Community Health Center Association
Rural Opportunities, Inc.
Student Action with Farmworkers
US DHHS/HRSA/Bureau of Primary Health Care