Twelfth Annual Western Migrant Stream Forum
A Report from Kay Deeney
PSRML Education and Exhibits Coordinator
The Western Migrant Stream Forum, January 31 - February 2, 2003, set in sunny Mesa, Arizona, was a fascinating conference to attend. The theme of the conference was "Celebrating Our Past y Asegurando Nuestro Futuro" (Assuring Our Future). The majority of the program was in English, and Spanish language interpreters translated for people with Spanish fluency. The Forum was presented by the Northwest Regional Primary Care Association (NWRPCA) http://www.nwrpca.org/farmworker/forum.htm, a not-for-profit association of community, migrant and homeless health centers.
While I always enjoy our library conferences, I found it very rewarding to attend a meeting where I was NOT surrounded by librarians. I met nurses, promotoras, nutritionists, physicians, social workers, migrant workers, and others involved in migrant health care. Promotoras are lay health workers who are part of highly successful programs for improving health among migrant workers. I presented a poster, entitled "MEDLINEplus for Migrant Farm Workers: Implications for Health Care Providers." Mariachis played in the background while people mingled and talked to the poster presenters.
A variety of speakers described projects, partnerships, and conditions surrounding migrant health. Several speakers emphasized the mission of agricultural groups - specifically the migrant workers - is to put good healthy food on the table for the American public. The University of California participates in a Bi-National Collaboration in farm worker health, an attempt to access patient health records while the patient is in Mexico or working in the United States part of the year. An energetic presentation on pesticide safety training by Flor Tovar focused on community partnerships. Toby Ewing from the Little Hoover Commission spoke about a new direction that California is heading in - exploring ways to have migrants become accepted and acceptable parts of their communities. An assertiveness workshop had a fascinating exercise showing how people often bring a different frame of reference to any situation. Roberto Dansie gave a dynamic presentation about curanderismo, the art of traditional healing in the Americas. Interestingly, one of the problems for health centers is that many of the new migrants are coming from indigenous parts of Mexico. They may not speak Spanish, much less English! Many young adolescent men, as well as families, are coming to be migrant workers. Depression and low self esteem are some of the mental health issues in both sexes.
The conference ended with a feedback session whereby attendees critiqued the hotel, facilities, workshops, keynotes, etc. and offered suggestions for next year. This was in addition to the standard evaluation form. Attendees were enticed to attend this session by free raffle prizes, including our own NLM tote bag!
I found the Western Migrant Stream Forum an enriching and energizing experience, and I encourage you to find an opportunity to attend conferences that your people go to! It can be tough to find the time and the financial support to break out of the box in this way, but the returns will definitely be worth it!