Mexican government's ‘Health Windows' aid U.S. immigrants with preventative care

Because of coordinated partnerships between local governments, state health departments, and nonprofit groups, more and more farmworkers are receiving COVID-19 vaccinations. Through the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Farmworker Health program and its partners, nearly 14,000 doses were administered to the farmworker community over two months. Advocates also have to dispel rumors and myths about the vaccines, but they are working to combat that misinformation and make it easier for them to get vaccinated.

Immigrant children waiting to gain access to the U.S. from Mexico often require vaccinations when they get to the border, but the immigration process doesn't allow for it. To address this gap in health care, an organization in Phoenix collaborates with the Mexican Red Cross and a local shelter to offer one-day vaccination clinics for those in need.

In order to reach a pastoralist community with health services, a mobile health clinic called the Kimormor has been deployed in northern Kenya. Treating both people and livestock, the Kimormor has provided family planning, antenatal care, and child health services to this community.

The OmniSalud program provides zero-premium health care coverage to low-income immigrants without documentation, helping make health care more accessible for those who normally struggle to get it due to their legal status. This year, the program expanded to 11,000 slots and hopes to continue growing.

The Minnesota Department of Health is working with local advocacy groups to provide free Covid-19 testing at pop-up testing sites in communities where immigrants or undocumented residents live. The state-sponsored testing sites do not ask patients for any information regarding their citizen status and also do not require insurance to access the test.

Health care can be hard to access for those in rural communities, so for one Arizona community, the Southeast Arizona Area Health Education Center partnered with the University of Arizona to bring health education to those that needed it. Focusing specifically on education addressing potential health concerns specific to this mostly farmworker community, the community center also "trains some locals as health promoters, or 'promotoras de salud,' to work as health educators and advocates."

The St. Mary’s Legacy Clinic is a mobile health clinic bringing care to uninsured, rural residents in Tennessee. The initiative has reached nearly 250 people since it started, providing care to six different towns once per month. With the costs of health care without insurance being enough to turn people away from seeking it, this clinic provides medical evaluations, medicine, and lab work – all with the hope of rebuilding trust between communities and the healthcare system.

In order to battle the government healthcare gaps, the time lost from workers leaving to seek medical attention, and the closing of hospitals, some rural companies have opened their own clinics nearby. This way workers can get medical attention quickly and efficiently, and keep physicians nearby even if hospitals close.

In places such as Ghana, people live far from proper healthcare, which is why Community Health Workers in the region, and in other regions lacking access to healthcare, are being trained. CHW's can help educate individuals about how to stay healthy, increase prevention techniques, and help them get proper medical aid.

In the United States approximately 15% Asian-Americans have no health insurance and have had a difficulty understanding the options available in the Affordable Care Act. Although the White House has reached out to Asian-Americans in video chats, the state and community forums for Asian Americans have proved to be the most successful. Interpreter teams help Asian-Americans with the paperwork and understanding the policies.