Help Migrants Access Mental Health Services

Dear Friends,

For the past year and a half, the CARE collaborative has worked closely with the Center for Farmworker Families to provide mobile wellness clinics in Watsonville, CA. Our approach is integrative and trauma-informed, including acupuncture, chiropractic care, therapeutic massage, herbal indigenous medicine, and other traditional, culturally aligned therapies that address the physical and emotional health needs of migrant workers. CARE services are free of charge, and are provided in Spanish and English by licensed health professionals in community settings where farm workers live and work.

Farm worker communities in California continued to work throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, helping maintain food security for all Americans by producing over half the nation’s vegetables and two-thirds of our fruit and nuts. They have been disproportionately affected by wildfires, high COVID infection rates, harsh living/work conditions, pesticide poisoning, fear of deportation, and inadequate access to quality medical and mental health care. They often experience physical pain related to their jobs, and suffer high rates of trauma-related conditions such as anxiety and depression. Undocumented farm workers face even greater physical and mental health risks due to their migratory status.

This unique, trauma-informed, integrative health care project helps mitigate pain, stress, and trauma; builds greater physical and emotional resilience; and provides essential physical and mental health scaffolding for vulnerable migrant workers. We hope to expand this model program throughout California in the coming year.

Please consider continuing to support this program by becoming a recurring donor today! 

Thank you,

The CARE Team