Now that I have completed the Into the Fields internship, I am now more informed about the issues surrounding preventative care. At the NC Farmworkers Project (NCFWP), we have coordinated the scheduling of appointments, but at times, the farmworkers tell us at the last minute that they can no longer attend the appointments. One cannot help but think about the two contrasting needs: attending the appointment or continuing to work.
It is disheartening to learn there is more value in working in extra work hours, than to attend the appointment that could help the issues caused by the wear and tear of the strenuous work that they are performing every day in hostile conditions. A lot of the time, farmworkers cannot attend the appointment until the issue has become exacerbated. I still remember the swollen cheek of a farmworker because he could not attend the appointment until it was a detrimental issue. The inaccessibility to dental and medical healthcare has been a longstanding issue that needs to be addressed.
As an intern, I have been able to provide transportation and interpretation for dental and medical appointments. Additionally, I facilitated the refills of prescriptions for los Tres Primos (diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol). I know that the work that I am doing might have only been to a few farmworkers, but I understand the small impact that it might have.
As I return to Charlotte, I hope to be able to continue providing interpretation to underserved groups during medical appointments. Being at the community service learning center, in Lillington, I hope to continue to help farmworkers and return as a dental student in a few years as a part of clinical rotations. When you have someone that speaks Spanish during a dental appointment, the procedure becomes more efficient. I hope to be able to make dental care more widespread, to be able to have the basics of dental care (flossing, brushing twice a day, have routine cleanings) more ingrained in society. Being with the NCFWP, I view the need for BIPOC in healthcare more pronounced; we need more doctors, nurses, and dentists that speak the language of the underserved.
