Campbell med students take mobile units to vaccinate NC migrant farmers

Medical students at Campbell University are volunteering to help close the healthcare gap for North Carolina's migrant farm workers.

The school’s mobile medical units are vaccinating vulnerable farm workers right next to the fields they work in.

For a few hours on Thursday night, a church parking lot in rural NC is turning into a field hospital. Their work allows migrant farmers access to COVID protection they may otherwise never get – especially vital with the Delta variant increasing its grasp on NC.

"They virtually have no access to healthcare in the area where they live. So we’re able to bring it to them with this baby here," said Dr. Joe Cacciopo, Chair of Community and Global Health at Campbell University.

Two nights a week, a group of med students gathers on campus to treat patients.

"We go out to different farm sites, so we see migrant farm workers. A lot of them do come from Mexico," said Meghan Nunnally, manager for the mobile clinic.

On Wednesday night, they set up shop in Duplin County, offering a complete range of treatments, and doing it free-of-charge thanks to donations that fund the program.

"The care itself is free. All the medications that they receive is free. Any specialized care, imaging, again is all free.," said Cacciopo.

The costs being covered is the most important part for migrants like Lucia and her husband Alfredo, who say before the clinics came, many of these workers hadn’t seen a doctor in years. They either couldn’t afford it, or didn't have immigration papers needed to see a physician in the US.

"So we don’t have the resources to pay a doctor, and that’s why the clinic helps us, because it’s free. That’s why it’s so important for us migrants that it’s helping," said Lucia.

On top of the regular care being offered, organizers say the mobile clinics have given COVID-19 vaccines to thousands of these migrants across the state.

Because the workers live in close quarters and tend to have high rates of underlying conditions, Campbell students said the vaccines have probably been a literal lifesaver.

"Being able to make a lasting impact, it just feels wonderful," said Nunnally.

The migrants themselves say having someone to take care of their health is one more step towards achieving their American dream.

"I’m happy that there are those caring for the lives of the immigrants who are here in this country," said Lucia.

Organizers say the next step will be to outfit lab testing capabilities in these units - so migrants can be fully screened right there on site.