(by Ana Elisa Wilson, Healthy People and Communities Program Manager)
Children’s Day (El Día del Niño) is traditionally celebrated on April 30th as a day to honor childhood and advocate for the wellbeing and happiness of children, recognizing their importance in society. Beyond the exchange of gifts, the occasion seeks to raise awareness regarding the protection, education, and health of children whilst highlighting family and community connection through family oriented activities. NCAP hosted a Children's Day celebration in Boardman Oregon this year, with the goal of expanding our social and health service programs within Hispanic and Latino farmworker communities. Through this event and others in our Healthy People and Communities program, we are able to offer a fun and family-friendly event to foster community and offer free resources to farmworkers.
We were able to serve 16 families and their children at this event, totaling over 40 individuals, including 30 children. Our team of 10 volunteers distributed flyers, illustrated materials from NCAP, information regarding the Well Water program, and literature on vaccinations. There was a large turnout of over 70 attendees, for whom we provided resources, food, and more.
The children were able to participate in a fun piñata game and a learning activity focused on coloring and reading about the following topics: pesticides, climate change, the environment, and community health.
Celebrating Children's Day allowed us to establish more direct contact with the community in Morrow County, and to share health and wellness programs that offer substantial benefits to both parents and children. Programs included access to medical care services through the Oregon Health Plan, which provide families with direct access to medical treatment, vision care, dental services, behavioral health support, and assistance with transportation and prescription medications, and more. NCAP currently offers service to assist with health insurance plan registration, a project we launched one year ago under the direction and support of the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). With two certified OHP Assistants among the group of volunteers who support and work with NCAP, we have processed over 100 applications since the program's inception!
Another program we continue to implement involves offering educational workshops regarding well water issues in the rural areas of the Lower Umatilla Basin, specifically through our "Well Water" initiative. We work with community members to emphasize the importance of conducting laboratory water tests to determine the nitrate levels present in their wells.
A nitrate concentration of 10 milligrams per liter is considered a critical threshold; if levels reach this point, households become eligible to enroll in a bottled water supply program. This initiative is supported by the OHA Office of Health, as well as the Morrow and Umatilla County Health Departments, all of whom have joined this project to promote water quality. Furthermore, we have collaborated with 10 local agencies to deliver educational and informational programs designed to assist families in safeguarding their health and ensuring access to safe drinking water in the most effective way possible.
During these sessions we also had the opportunity to engage in conversations with parents about the importance of vaccines in the role of disease prevention. We will soon be offering educational workshops on this topic throughout Morrow and Umatilla Counties. Being informed is now more critical than ever, we must gain a thorough understanding of how to prevent the spread of diseases and the viruses that cause them. Our workshops will feature the support of subject-matter experts, and we will distribute informational materials in both English and Spanish, with the assistance of interpreters fluent in Mam (a Mesoamerican language spoken by members of the Guatemalan community).