Working with Migrant andSeasonal Farmworkers

Tammy Austin-Ketch, RN, MS, CS-FNPClinical Assistant Professor

University at BuffaloDoctoral Student SPM

Model of Outreach Care

An outreach model of care is employed to enhance and facilitate participation in health care activities.

A mobile clinic is utilized at the place of employment of the farm workers.The mobile unit is staffed with an attending physician, family medicine residents, a nurse practitioner, medical and nurse practitioner students, interpreters, and nurses.

Model of Outreach Care

Our mobile unit is equipped with a mobile pharmacy to eliminate the extra trip and cost of purchasing medications from a community pharmacy.Removes the known barriers of transportation, cost, language barriers, and difficulty navigating our complicated Western medicine model.

Model of Outreach Care

Health care and health education are provided in a familiar, “safe” client driven environment by a team of providers that are well known to the migrant and seasonal farmwork community.

Model of Outreach Care

Infants and children enrolled in Agri-Business Daycare centers have also been a major focus of health education. Obesity has become a major concern in this group.

Future Interdisciplinary Research

Clinical Dietetic Student InternsSummer Internship working collaboratively with FNP students and faculty.

Area of clinical research- dietary patterns and habits of Hispanic children and weight trend changes over time.

Future Interdisciplinary Research

Social Work students (UG) and interns (MSW)

Unique opportunities to assist a vulnerable population with a variety of social issues and to evaluate effectiveness of the interventions that were undertaken.

Graduate School of Education Provide educational reinforcement of concepts presented in the previous school year and to evaluate the effects of frequent mobility on retention of curricular content.

Future Interdisciplinary Research

School of Dentistry

Effects of transient lifestyle, inadequate access, and limited dental hygiene information on dental health.

Potential to study long-term health complications related to poor dental hygiene.

Future Interdisciplinary Research

School of Public Health and Health Related Professions

Effects of lifestyle on chronic disease states

Mortality studies

Nutrition and obesity studies

Pesticide exposure and toxicity studies

Infant mortality