Given my background as a medical interpreter, for my Spanish honors thesis, I decided to deviate from the literary-basis of my Spanish classes, and expand on my interest in public health by studying the barriers to health... [ view full abstract ]
Given my background as a medical interpreter, for my Spanish honors thesis, I decided to deviate from the literary-basis of my Spanish classes, and expand on my interest in public health by studying the barriers to health care access that migrant agricultural workers face in Vermont. The goal of the study is to better understand the ways to maximally serve this population that experiences economic, linguistic, racial, and political marginalization.
To this end, I have been drawing on previously-conducted academic work, government-published documents, news reports, and interviews with current dairy and agricultural workers. I also discuss interview content from administrators at the Open Door Clinic, a free medical clinic that serves the un- and under-insured in Vermont, with outreach programs to serve a number of farms and orchards, as well as the leaders of Justicia Migrante, an organization that supports migrant workers in their demands for human rights and food justice.
Through this research, I developed a more articulate appreciation of differences in cultural attitudes towards health care, as well as the importance of population-specific intervention tactics and providership.
