Vecinos program receives grant
Vecinos Farmworker Health Program, a community service partner with Western Carolina University’s College of Health and Human Sciences, has received a major grant that will ensure continued assistance to an underserved local population.
Vecinos — Spanish for “neighbors” — is a Jackson County-based nonprofit that advocates for and provides medical support to uninsured and underinsured farmworkers and their families in WNC. The $150,000 grant, through the Melvin R. Lane Fund of the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, will support a dedicated executive director position, improve community relations and diversify revenue streams.
One aspect of the partnership is the student-led Mountain Area Pro-Bono Health Services Clinic, which works in tandem with Vecinos to serve farmworkers’ physical therapy needs.
Vecinos’ flagship service is a mobile clinic, which staff uses to offer medical and mental health services directly to migrant farmworkers in their homes or camps after a workday.
In the past year, Vecinos served 800 patients in the region with primary health care, health education, case management, dental services, medical interpretation and transportation.
WCU community members can get involved by visiting www.vecinos.org.
