$10.5 Million in Grants Delivered to Meet Immediate Health Needs of California's Agricultural Workers.

Business Editors

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 29, 2002

Grants among the first in The Endowment's 5-year, $50 million

commitment to improving the health of this population

The California Endowment today announced it has awarded $10.5 million in grants to 30 organizations to serve the health care needs of agricultural workers and their families in California.

"These grants are intended to respond to the immediate health needs of agricultural workers in California and constitute the first phase of a five-year $50 million initiative," said Robert K. Ross, M.D., president and CEO of The California Endowment. "The organizations will be able to quickly expand the great work they are doing for agricultural workers and their families."

The framework for the initiative was based on a series of recommendations by a 23-member CEO Task Force on Agricultural Worker Health, created by The Endowment and chaired by retired U.S. Congressman Esteban Torres. These recommendations were based on the results of Suffering in Silence: A Report on the Health of California's Agricultural Workers, which found that the vast majority of these workers are at serious risk for life-threatening chronic disease caused by inadequate nutrition, and little or no access to medical and dental care.

The grants focus on several specific health care areas, including medical and dental care, enrollment into publicly funded health insurance programs, health education and outreach, occupational health and safety, domestic violence, mental health, and substance abuse.

The grants are anticipated to help deliver one or more of these services to hundreds of thousands of agricultural workers throughout California. The majority of the grant money - $7 million - will go directly towards medical and dental care. The funds will make it possible for more than 100,000 agriculture workers and their families to have access to some form of medical and dental care, ranging from basic screenings and advice to doctor visits and treatment.

As an example, the Valley Health Team at the San Joaquin Health Center will use its grant to provide expanded, culturally appropriate medical, dental and vision care services to agricultural workers in Fresno County. Another example is the Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, which will implement a field outreach program that will dramatically increase access to domestic violence support services along with preventive physical care services for agricultural workers in Ventura County.

Grants were awarded based on responses to more than 600 Request for Proposals (RFPs) distributed throughout California by The Endowment and posted on its Web site in September.

"This RFP process reaffirmed the overwhelming need for health services for agricultural workers. Within six weeks of issuing our request for proposals, The Endowment received 124 applications requesting $54 million," Ross said. "Obviously, this issue requires a strong, ongoing commitment by policy leaders across the state in the years to come."

The California Endowment was established in 1996 to expand access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities, and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians. The Endowment has regional offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, Fresno and San Diego with program staff working throughout the state. The Endowment makes grants to organizations and institutions that directly benefit the health and well-being of the people of California. For more information, visit our Web site at www.calendow.org.