Come shake it in support of the Umbrella Mobile Clinic for migrant farmworkers!
Much of the food system in Canada is currently depends on imported labour – that is, migrant workers who are brought in, often from Mexico or Guatemala, to work in low-wage jobs on farms. British Columbia brings in approximately 4,000 of these seasonal workers every year. These farm workers contribute greatly to the Canadian economy and help increase access to locally grown produce for BC residents. Yet they are often socially and physically isolated, as they usually work long hours, speak limited English, live on farms with limited transportation options, and are away from their families and support networks. Many barriers exist that make it difficult for them to access the services that they need to be healthy and happy.
The Umbrella Mobile Clinic helps to bring health services to migrant farmworkers in BC’s lower mainland by providing a mobile medical clinic, staffed largely by volunteers, who offer low-barrier health services in Spanish for migrant farmworkers. The clinic is operated in a trailer renovated to be a small medical office, which travels to regular locations in the lower Mainland and aims to hold clinics at times and in locations that are most convenient for migrant farmworkers. The clinic offers medical services similar to what is received in a family doctor’s office, but delivered in Spanish and with cultural supports. Additional logistical, language and transportation are also offered for follow-up appointments, and snacks and social connection are an important feature of every clinic as well.
The Umbrella Mobile Clinic is in its 4th year of operation and is funded primarily by sponsorships/ donations, grants and fundraising. Please come out and spread the word about our 2nd annual Noche de Salsa in Vancouver on November 22nd – a night of salsa dancing and socializing in support of the mobile clinic.
For more information about the mobile clinic and the event, check out:
https://www.facebook.com/events/825174420837429/
https://www.picatic.com/nochedesalsa
Thanks so much for spreading the word about this! It will be a wicked good time and a great opportunity for people to learn more about health equity issues affecting migrant farm workers in BC.