The
South Georgia Farmworker Health Project is a well-established
community-campus collaborative project. They are now in their fifteenth year
of outreach. Though SGFHP started out with a one-week clinic, since 1998
they have done 2 weeks in June during the peak season. Their team in June
2009 focused on patient education on a common and dangerous problem for
farmworkers – heat injury.SGFHP uses a
mobile outreach model to provide free out-patient care to migrant and
seasonal farm workers and their dependents in the southern tier of Georgia
counties. Beyond its direct impact on a very medically underserved and
impoverished patient base, it has had substantial impact on communities,
individual PA and MD volunteers, and Emory PA students.
The project provides direct service
to approximately 1900 farm workers and their dependents during their time in
South Georgia. Although many only have minor complaints, significant
disorders were addressed in a number of patients. It also provides an
important educational experience and impact for student,
faculty, and volunteers.
Many in our group, myself included, went
on the project with the lofty notions of serving these individuals,
sacrificing of our time and comfort for just a short period to provide them
free medical care. My experience gave me pause on this – haven’t they been
serving us so much more, giving of their daily lives for years, to provide
us affordable, fresh produce? This is the least we could do to return
something of what they’ve blessed us with.” PA Student
