Detroit Evening Report: Michigan health department launches bilingual COVID vaccines hotline for farmworkers
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The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) created a new hotline for bilingual farmworkers to get information about COVID-19 vaccines.
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The Office of Migrant Affairs launched a toll-free number to provide information in Spanish. People can call 833-SIAYUDA or 833-742-9832. “Si ayuda” translates to “yes help” in Spanish.
This hotline was created for the nearly 90,000 farmworkers and their families who may have limited English proficiency to gain access to vaccine and health care information in Michigan. Dwayne Haywood, senior deputy director of MDHHS Economic Stability Administration, says this is one measure to provide timely information to people about healthcare.
“We aim to make health care in Michigan client-centered, which includes providing information in the person’s primary language when available to ensure timely health services,” Haywood said in a statement. “The Farmworker Hotline is a translation tool to help keep farmworkers healthy and reduce health-related work absences that could result in loss of earnings needed to support their families.”
It’s also a way to keep people healthy and working in the state. Farmworkers provide $105 billion to Michigan’s annual food and agriculture industry. The hotline is funded by the CDC and operated by bilingual staff.
Translation services are available for those who speak a language other than Spanish. More information can be found at michigan.gov/migrantaffairs.
Other headlines for Feb. 22, 2023:
- Detroit police commissioners board fills vacancies
- DDOT migrating to mobile ticketing system
- Wayne State brings back AP and STEM days after multi-year hiatus
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