With the agricultural season back in full swing, farm agencies and health centers have sponsored health and safety events throughout California. This past month CalAgrAbility has participated in the Sacramento Farm Bureau sponsored Annual Health & Safety Fair where health, vision, and dental screenings were provided as well as immunization, finger printing, and I.D. services. This focused on Delta Region farm families. Over 40 area organizations provided health and safety services to over 400 attendees. In addition, the Project’s Arthritis Foundation partner represented CalAgrAbility at the Migrant Education Spring Health Fair in Tulare (south central CA) along with other service organizations. CalAgrAbility also staffed a booth at the UC Davis annual Picnic Day event, where some 70,000 individuals attended seminars, viewed campus activities, and learned about special programs.
The California Office of Migrant Housing conducted the Annual Farm Worker Migrant Center Conference held in the Central Valley, where CalAgrAbility was invited to do a seminar on farming with arthritis and working with disabilities to over 70 migrant farm center managers who run the statewide program. Connecting with medical professionals, CalAgrAbility also made a presentation to the University of California Medical Center Cardiology staff, including cardiologists. The Project received a request from the North Region Social Security Administration Coordinator to conduct workshops. Staff was also invited to the Hear! Hear! meetings in Davis and Woodland. This is a chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), the nation’s leading organization representing people with hearing loss. The workshop was on AT devices for the home. This is a wonderful connection for AgrAbility consumers with low hearing. The Hear! Hear! Chapter has asked the program to collaborate on producing Spanish-language prevention materials for farm families.
CalAgrAbility has been coordinating activities with the AT Network in collaboration with the Society for the Blind in Sacramento. The group has networked to assist farm families, especially with the Senior Impact Project, to help those 55 and older overcome their vision loss and regain their independence. They do Spanish language retreats and have done other languages as well.
Submitted by Martha Stiles