Nurses deserve praise for health care services with farmworkers

Editor:

Cheers and thanks from Oak Orchard Health for the recognition by the CDC for the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments’ nursing team.

Oak Orchard Health depends on our local county health departments to fulfill its mission of dispensing health care services to the thousands of farmworkers and their families in our agricultural counties.

This year, of course, farmworkers mirror our local populations with their concerns about COVID-19. Many of our full time, migrating and H2-A workers come to our region with understandable trepidation about the high numbers of COVID patients and deaths throughout NYS.

It takes inordinate skills within our local health care workers to confidently calm those concerns and to give not only routine inoculations but masks, sanitizers and instructions about “social distancing” to the workers and their families.

Over the years, these health care workers have developed trusting and warm relationships with the farmworkers and the farmers in our region.

Thanks to all of your dedication put into action every day.

Karen Watt

Oak Orchard Health Board member

Albion