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We still would have difficulty in bringing remedial dental care to just the migrant children involved, and routine screening procedures for vision, hearing, tuberculosis, and other chronic diseases would, for the most part, be imperfect.

In our experience, it would seem desirable not only to continue the Migrant Health Act, but to furnish additional matching funds to increase the small expenditure of $1.28 per migrant per biweekly period.

We have some very conservative people in our area, but as a whole they see the value of the money that has been spent, and are for raising the amount of money that will do the job properly.

In my opinion, there is still much to be done on a Federal level. At the present time, most family health clinics within any particular migrant stream operate independently of one another. Hopefully, a cohesiveness of such clinics can be brought about to produce increasing continuity of care.

The effectiveness of the entire program could also be enhanced if migrants could be evaluated, preventive measures begun, and needed consultation given before leaving their home base.

We are now faced with the threat that the Migrant Health Act will no longer exist after June 30 of 1968. As I understand it, one of the reasons for the discontinuation is to make more money available for the Comprehensive Health Planning Act.

In effect, this would mean diluting migrant health moneys over a much broader population. This may be the right and just thing to do for categories of a universal nature, such as heart, cancer, stroke, diabetes, tuberculosis, and others which are common to all localities.

However, the migrant situation is not a universal one. It is a problem experienced by relatively few localities. These localities by their nature are rural, and do not have the resources to meet the needs of the migrant worker and his family.

If you throw migrant health moneys into a general pot with these other disease categories, you are treating the migrant as a disease entity, which indeed he is not.

Although he may speak another language, or be of a minority group, he is a human being, deserving of respect. He is necessary to the economy and productivity of this Nation. Although he is an American, he is, in many instances, an unfortunate captive of his work, because of his education, background, and capabilities.

The migrant health program is just not a mechanism to provide immediate, acute treatment and improvement of living conditions. It is designed with a lasting effect in mind, to educate and to promote and maintain the health of an underprivileged group of Americans who must eventually take their place in the mainstream of American life.

This will come as their education and social acceptance improve, and as they are replaced by mechanization.

I hope you do not see our request to continue the Migrant Health Act as a selfish move, for we are interested in more than the growing of fruits and vegetables. We would like to see America grow in a manner commensurate with its very honorable preamble. Thank you. (Attachments to Dr. Locey's statement follow:)

TABLE 1.-BIWEEKLY NUMBERS OF SEASONAL AGRICULTURAL WORKERS BY LOCATION OF ORIGIN, BERRIEN, CASS, VAN BUREN COUNTIES, 1966

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SOURCE AND MOVEMENT OF SEASONAL AGRICULTURAL LABORERS According to data gathered by the State Health Department for the year 1966, the following states supplied seasonal agricultural labor to the state of Michigan in the percentages given as follows:

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Based on Michigan Employment Security Commission data shown in Table I, the composition of all seasonal farm workers on the basis of the biweekly average was as follows:

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(04) Family or Friend
(05) General Hospital
(06) Health Dept. Clinic

(07) Health Aide

(08) Social Worker

(09) Health Educator

(10) Mass Media

(11) Econ.Oppor.Comm. (12) Other

Have you (or the head of your family) worked on a farm, in a cannery, or in a packing
house in the last 12 months?
not ask 32 and GS

Yes

No

Do

In the last 12 months have you or your family done this kind of work outside your home county, or outside your home state?

Yes

No

Do not ask 03

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J.

(Use Number from Reverse Side or Write In)

(2) Nurse

(5) Social Worker

Time spent in the past 12 months in other states or counties. List by months:

J.

SE TION I

PRIMARY CONDITION DIAGNOSED BY M.D. (Note: Please identify primary condition by "1" and secondary

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EXHIBIT I

HARVEST TIME FOR FRUITS AND VEGETABLES GROWN IN SOUTHWESTERN MICHIGAN

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