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NAFC educates Migrant Farm Workers with help of Healthcare Providers

Newswise, November 9, 2010 — The National Association For Continence (NAFC) along with Natividad Medical Foundation and Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas (CSVS) jointly brought a public health education and awareness message recently to Monterey County, CA expanding outreach to Hispanic communities to include migrant farm workers in the area.

An educational health forum, conducted solely in Spanish, was held on October 11 in Salinas, CA. This event was held in concurrence with Binational Health Week (BWH), an outreach program that took place in early October 2010 comprised of community-based organizations and volunteers to improve the health and well being of the immigrant and migrant populations living in the United States.

The evening program, held at César E. Chávez Elementary School of the Union School District, featured presentations made by gynecologists and family medicine physicians.

One of the speakers, Peter Chandler, MD, the director of obstetrics and gynecology service at Natividad Medical Center, shared, “While presenting at this forum, I got the sense that I was helping to make a real difference in the lives of all of the attendees. This has helped to remind me why I entered the medical field. I hope to be able to be a part of future educational outreach initiatives.”

Education and guidance about bladder and bowel control problems including pelvic organ prolapse and the importance of diet and weight management was given. General health and wellness were addressed as well, including the prevention of diabetes and heart disease.

Attendees were instructed on how to seek diagnosis and treatment for symptoms at local area clinics, as obstacles to access are numerous for this underserved population.

“The information given to the attendees of this event is priceless.

Our clinic will work to continue to educate these people and others so they receive the care that everyone has the right to,” said Maximiliano Cuevas, MD, chief executive officer of CSVS.

“When a great opportunity is offered, you don’t refuse it. Reaching out to migrant farm workers, with limited means, little health literacy and restricted access to healthcare inside or outside of our delivery system, is the greatest adventure NAFC has embarked upon.

We’ve had great partners in this endeavor: CSVS, Driscoll’s, Ethicon Women’s Health & Urology, Medtronic Foundation, Natividad Medical Foundation and Univision Communications to successfully design a template for others to follow elsewhere across our nation,” stated Nancy Muller, executive director of NAFC. This educational event was made possible by grants from the Medtronic Foundation and Ethicon Women’s Health & Urology, a division of Ethicon, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company.

SRS Medical and CooperSurgical have pledged to donate pessaries to CSVS and Natividad medical facilities where women are diagnosed with prolapse and can benefit from non-surgical interventions. Assistance, with growers, for publicity of the event was provided by Driscoll’s, the world’s largest marketer and distributor of fresh berries.

About NAFC
The National Association For Continence is a 501(c) 3 corporation whose mission is threefold: 1) to educate the public about the causes, diagnosis categories, treatment options and management alternatives for incontinence, voiding dysfunction, nocturnal enuresis and related pelvic floor disorders; 2) to network with other organizations and agencies to elevate the visibility and priority given to these areas; and 3) to advocate on behalf of consumers who suffer from such symptoms as a result of disease or other illness, obstetrical, surgical or other trauma, or deterioration due to the aging process itself. NAFC is broadly funded by consumers, healthcare professionals and industry. It is the world’s largest and most prolific consumer advocacy organization devoted exclusively to this field.

About Natividad Medical Foundation
Established in 1988, Natividad Medical Foundation is recognized by the IRS as a 501 (c) 3 charitable organization. The Foundation has secured and raised millions of dollars in government grants and philanthropic contributions, assisted with purchasing equipment for Monterey County’s first Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, supported spiritual, palliative and bereavement care services at Natividad with grant assistance from the Hospice Foundation, and has secured $5 million to expand comprehensive HIV/AIDS care.

About CSVS
Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas is dedicated to providing quality comprehensive healthcare to men, women and children with an emphasis on farm worker families and the agricultural community. CSVS expands access to services and increases patient base by providing excellent care, by addressing patients’ needs, by maintaining a sliding fee scale and by establishing clinics and delivering services in areas with the most need. Through efficient resource management and aggressive efforts to seek outside funding, CSVS is committed to maintaining financial stability so that patients and employees benefit from its success. CSVS recruits personnel who promote and advocate the goals and philosophies of CSVS. CSVS will never forget that patient’s health is the most important objective of its system.