CITRIS Health and the UC Davis Center for Reducing Health Disparities, in partnership with Ampla Health and an agricultural grower, have released the ACTIVATE Community Engagement Implementation Guide, a how-to guide to help farmworker communities establish their own telehealth programs.
Despite being promoted as a cost-conscious access point to healthcare, telehealth has been difficult to establish in California’s rural Central Valley communities, who face substantial barriers to receiving quality health services.
ACTIVATE — short for Accountability, Coordination, and Telehealth In the Valley to Achieve Transformation and Equity — was launched by CITRIS researchers in 2021 to break these barriers and create digital health solutions for the historically underserved residents of Merced County.
Telehealth can potentially benefit farmworkers by saving time, circumventing transportation costs, and allowing them to receive care without missing work and pay. ACTIVATE’s guide provides community health workers with a structured means to engage with Latino agricultural workers on the topics of telehealth and tele-mental health. As more communities begin to receive resources, these efforts can go a long way towards improving health outcomes across the Central Valley.