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Migrant Health Centers

Health & Safety - General Health

Migrant health centers provide comprehensive primary and preventive health care to migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their families.  They offer services on a sliding fee scale to patients regardless of immigration status.

The centers are administered by the Office of Minority and Special Populations within the Bureau of Primary Health Care, which is responsible for the Health Center Program of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA; a division of the Department of Health and Human Services).

Currently, there are 157 migrant health centers nationwide. These centers receive federal grants under Section 330 (g) of the Public Health Services Act, which partially cover the cost of their services. In a small number of regions that lack the concentration of migrants needed to support a bricks-and-mortar health center, "voucher" programs have been established, which enable farmworkers and their families to receive services from a participating network of health care providers.

According to the 2005 National Agricultural Worker Survey only 22% of farmworkers reported that they or their family members are covered by private health insurance or Medicaid. Since most farmworkers are poor, with an average annual family income of between $12,500 and $14,499, some workers go without medical care even when they need it.  Migrant health centers fill an important unmet need for health services for farmworkers and their families.

Who qualifies for care at migrant health centers?

To be eligible for services, an individual must have been principally employed in agriculture for the previous 24 months. Agricultural work is defined as all activities involved with planting, harvesting, or processing crops, but does not include work with livestock. Family members of qualified agricultural workers are also eligible to receive services. Approximately 826,000 migrant or seasonal farmworkers and their family members received care at migrant health centers in 2007.

To locate a community or migrant health center in your area, visit the health center search page at one of the following websites:

U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

Migrant Clinicians Network (MCN)

National Center for Farmworker Health (NCFH)

More Resources:

Helping Migrant Health Centers Better Serve Farmworker Communities

As part of the Farmworker Health Network, Farmworker Justice works in collaboration with Migrant Clinicians Network to provide training and technical assistance for migrant health centers to help them better serve the needs of migrant farmworker communities.  Read more...