WE LIP Success Story | April 2022
Migrant Worker Health and Information Fair
After a two-years hiatus, the Migrant Workers Community Program’s (MWCP) Health and Information Fair for Migrant Workers has returned. Held on Sunday, April 3rd at the Roma Club in Leamington, the Health Fair worked in partnership with over 22+ organizations in Essex County, including the Windsor Essex Local Immigration Partnership, to help connect Migrant and Temporary Foreign Workers with all the community and organizational supports available to them in Windsor-Essex, and to help ensure they have barrier-free access to healthcare and other support services.
Free services this year included dental cleaning and oral health workshops, vision screenings, and blood glucose testing, COVID-19 vaccinations, along with connections to legal, income tax, and occupational health and safety supports. Chair of the MWCP, Martin Varela, was on-site to welcome workers back to the in-person event, along with Mayors of Kingsville and Leamington, Nelson Santos and Hilda MacDonald, and Consulate of Mexico in Leamington, Vanessa Calva-Ruiz. New this year, the MWCP was able to provide free bus transportation at key locations in the Leamington and Kingsville area.
The 2022 Health and Information Fair attracted over 450 workers who were supported by 20+ community volunteers. It has been a vital part of welcoming workers to Essex County, and to help facilitate their introduction to the community and connecting them to available health and community supports.
“It is our responsibility to ensure that our guest workers are aware of all the health and wellness resources that are available to them in our community. Knowing where to go and who to turn to is key in keeping our workers safe and healthy.”
– Hilda MacDonald, Mayor of Leamington
It was also a good opportunity for many of the community partners who have been working together virtually for nearly two years to finally work together in person.
See the links below for a selection of media coverage from the event:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/migrant-worker-health-fair-leamington-1.6407099
https://www.farms.com/ag-industry-news/migrant-temporary-foreign-worker-event-in-essex-county-updated-148.aspx
https://kingsvilletimes.ca/2022/03/health-and-information-fair-for-migrant-workers-on-april-3-2022/
https://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/health-fair-provides-free-care-for-migrant-workers
https://windsor.ctvnews.ca/video?cid=sm%3Atrueanthem%3Actvwindsor%3Atwitterpost&clipId=2415327&taid=624a5f333225ef00012873d4&utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter
“weCHC has been working with community partners and providing health care on farms, on our mobile unit and our Princess site for over three years. This work continues and we value the strong partnerships we have developed which enable us to hear from the workers and meet their needs. Our partnership with MCWP is a strong one that has enabled us to deliver a walk-in clinic with onsite interpretation for the many workers who come to us for care. We look forward to many more years of providing care to Temporary Foreign Worker communities in collaboration with our many partners.”
– Rita Taillefer, Executive Director, Windsor Essex Community Health Centre
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