On the Ellenton clinic

Dear editor:

The consortium of partners that serves farmworkers through the Ellenton Clinic do more than assist a population that lags behind in healthcare, wages, education and living conditions. By addressing the needs of the laborers and their families, this partnership of local, state and federal organizations is also supporting the area's top industry - agriculture - which pumps billions of dollars into Georgia's economy each year. Most jobs in Southwest Georgia are tied in some way to farming or farm-related business.

Further, the services provided at the Ellenton Clinic help enhance the safety of foods that end up in our restaurants, school lunchrooms and kitchens. As a nation, we have become more aware of the dangers of food-borne illnesses. We realize if someone unhealthy handles food, germs can spread. Everyone benefits if those who come into contact with food are healthy.

Finally, when we identify, treat and prevent disease in farmworkers and their families here, we are strengthening the larger communities to which they belong - schools, churches, businesses and other points of contact. Small, vulnerable groups can serve as a springboard for illnesses to enter the general population. The more individuals who are protected from disease, the greater the protection for us all.

The Ellenton Clinic is designed to assist farm workers and their families in Colquitt, Cook, Tift and Brooks counties. Farmworkers in these four counties are predominantly Hispanic, although there are small percentages of African Americans, Caucasians and Haitian immigrants. As long as families derive at least 51 percent of their income from agriculture, they are eligible for services, which include primary healthcare for infants through adults. The clinic's non-traditional hours accommodate farmworkers' grueling schedules. It has a bilingual staff, since some of its patients aren't proficient in English.

The clinic is part of a statewide Farmworker Health Project, under the Department of Community Health, which, in turn, is affiliated with a national farmworker health program. While the Colquitt County Board of Health oversees the administration of the Ellenton Clinic, most of its funding is from state and federal sources, with in-kind services provided by Colquitt County Family & Consumer Services, the Colquitt County Board of Commissioners, the City of Ellenton, area farmers, the University of Georgia, Moultrie Technical College, the Colquitt County Board of Education, Colquitt Regional Medical Center, Southwest Area Health Education Center, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Georgia State University, Emory University, South Georgia College, the Colquitt County Chapter of the American Red Cross, Telamon Corporation Migrant Head Start and Colquitt County Family Connections.

The Ellenton Clinic is as an outstanding example of a successful private-public partnership. The work it performs helps boost productivity, safety, wellness and economic advancement that reach far beyond its walls. The agencies and individuals behind it deserve the respect and appreciation of our entire region.

Jacqueline Grant, MD,

director, Southwest Health

District,

Albany

Text Only