NCDHHS Livestream Cafecito and Tele-Town Hall: Managing Health in Rural and Farmworker Communities | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    RALEIGH     The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will host a live Cafecito and Spanish-language tele-town hall on Tuesday, March 28, from 6 to 7 p.m. to discuss the importance of managing health with a focus on rural and farmworker communities and available resources across the state.

    Event participants include:

• Yazmin Garcia Rico, MSW, Director of Latinx and Hispanic Policy and Strategy, NCDHHS
• Modjulie Moore, M.D., Farmworker Health Medical Director, NC Farmworker Health Program
• Janet Tapia, Health Outreach Coordinator, NC Farmworkers Project

    The Cafecito falls during National Farmworker Awareness Week, a time of action to honor farmworkers' important contributions and raise awareness about the issues they face. Farmworkers feed the world, and North Carolina has one of the largest farmworker populations in the United States. Only one in five farmworkers in North Carolina get some form of health care, however. They also face limited access to housing, food, transportation, educational resources, internet and more to make informed decisions for themselves and their loved ones.

    Cafecito and tele-town hall panelists will discuss the following:

• Farmworker contributions and lived experiences
• Importance of routine health visits and preventative care
• Efforts to increase access to health care and reduce disparities

    Many people fell out of care during the pandemic, as routines were disrupted, and now face additional health challenges. This ripple effect underscores the importance of managing health and preventative efforts to reduce health problems and chronic conditions.

    The risks of COVID-19-related complications continue to be greater among people who have conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes, which are two of the more prevalent diagnoses in both rural and farmworker communities. Individuals who are not up to date on COVID-19 vaccines are also at greater risk of severe illness or hospitalization from the virus.

    Resources are available across North Carolina to support and connect Latino and farmworker communities with local health care providers, education and support to uplift overall health and help loved ones do the same.

    The Cafecito will stream live from the NCDHHS Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts, where viewers can submit questions. The event also includes a tele-town hall, which invites people by phone to listen in and submit questions. People can also dial into the event by calling (855) 756-7520 Ext. 92463#.

    NCDHHS Cafecito's and tele-town halls are part of the state's ongoing public efforts to reduce COVID-19, ensure equitable access to timely information, resources and COVID-19 vaccines and eliminate health disparities.

• NC Department of Health and Human Services
• 2001 Mail Service Center
• Raleigh, NC 27699-2001
• Ph: (919) 855-4840
• news@dhhs.nc.gov