Kansas' Low German Mennonites - National Center for Farmworker Health

							                www.kdheks.gov

Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
Kansas’ Low German Mennonites:
  Meeting the Challenge of an
Emerging Farmworker Population


  KS Statewide Farmworker Health Program
Kansas Department of Health and Environment
    Tina Guenther-Regional Case Manager
       Cyndi Treaster-Program Director
  Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
    Miguel’s Story:
A Multicultural Exchange




Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
  Low Germans in Kansas


While a few Low German
Mennonites from Mexico report
working in Kansas as early as
the late 1970’s and early 1980’s,
large numbers began arriving in
the late 1990’s.
 Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
   Low Germans in Kansas


In 1998, KSFHP registered 141 LG
Mennonites from Mexico, representing 7
percent of the total farmworkers served.

In 2004, 1452 LG Mennonites from
Mexico were registered representing 43
percent of the total farmworkers served.

  Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
KSFHP Populations Served
2000
                     2089                    2449                3377
1800
1600
1400
1200
                                                                              LG Menn
1000
                                                                              Hisp/Lat
 800
                                                                              Other
 600
 400
 200
   0
             1998                 2002                  2004


       Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
   2009 Kansas Farmworker Profile

Of 4443 farmworkers & dependents identified:

       62% Latinos, 36% Low German
       96% need interpreting
       91% were under 150% of poverty



         Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
     2009 Kansas Farmworker
        Profile Continued

   51% were male, 49% were female
   51% were 19 years/under, 49% over 19
   79% were uninsured
   55% were seasonal, 45% were migrant



     Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
     Early Research : Low Germans
        Mennonites from Mexico

 Migration North: Mennonites from Mexico: An
Orientation to the Mexican Mennonite Culture &
Way of Life, Mennonite Central Committee, Winnipeg,
                              Manitoba. 1995

       Kanadier Mennonites: Gaining An
  Understanding of Their Health and Illness.
Beliefs. Kulig, Judith C,RN, DNSc, et al. University of
                      Alberta, Canada 2002 ...



   Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
Who are these Farmworkers?:
 Health Survey Team 2003

 Contacted Mennonite Central
  Committee and Mennonite Church USA,
  Western District Conference
 Older Mennonite Support Group
  (grants, culture and language)
 Canadian born team of three sent to
  Western Kansas (interviews and focus
  groups)
    Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
 Characteristics of the LG
Mennonites in Kansas (2003)

 Originate from colonies in Mexico
 Highly mobile population
 Speak a form of Plautdietsch or Low
  German
 Do not emphasize formal education
 Low literacy, but often highly skilled


     Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
 Characteristics of the LG
Mennonites in Kansas (2003)
 Religious identity is primary
 Separation from the modern world
 Most conservative (90%) believe
  ministers are responsible for Bible
  interpretation and its application to
  everyday life.
 Agriculture as a way of life-Bible


    Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
          2 Timothy 3:14


      as for you, continue in what
 14But
 you have learned and have become
 convinced of, because you know
 those from whom you learned it,
 Characteristics of the LG
Mennonites in Kansas(2003)
 Adhere to rigid gender roles within a
  patriarchal culture
 Tend to have large families, fertility is
  influenced by religious beliefs
 Little experience with modern health
  care services
 Issues with depression and anxiety

     Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
 2003 KSFHP Health Survey
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
                                                                                        LG Menn
20%
                                                                                        Hisp/Lat
15%
10%
5%
0%
      No Routine Health   No Dental Visit     No Family     Mental Health Not
            Visit             (5yrs)           Planning          Good




            Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
                         2003 Health Survey Results

                                                                    2003 Health Survey Results

                         45%
                         40%
Percentage Farmworkers




                         35%
                         30%
                         25%                                                                                         LGM
                         20%                                                                                         Latino
                         15%
                         10%
                         5%
                         0%
                               No Routine Health   No Dental Visit (5yrs)   No Family Planning   Mental Health Not
                                     Visit                                                            Good
                                                                            Survey Questions




                                Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
How Will We Serve the LGM’s?

   A temporary intern with KSFHP had
    experience with health promoter
    programs at the border and
    recommended KSFHP consider the
    model. My thought “like looking for a
    needle in a haystack!”
        KSFHP Health Promoters
             and Friends




Tina Guenther, Lena Dyck, Sara Friesen, Helen Loewen, Lisa Froese

           Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
KSFHP Health Promoters
•Are trusted and respected community
members (culture and language)
•Provide informal community based health-
related services (health education, case
management, interpretation, etc.)
•Establish vital links between health providers
and persons in the community


   Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
       Agriculture as a way of life in Mexico




Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
     Cuauhtemoc, Mexico (Chihuahua)




Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
    Large Agriculturally Based Families




Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
                                                           Passport Pictures




Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
      Migrating Between U.S. and Mexico




Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
Settled in Seminole Texas




Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
                                                                      Sugar
                                                                      Beets in
                                                                      Kansas
                                                                      1974




Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
                  One Foot in Two Worlds




Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
Developing Innovative Practices

    KSFHP has utilized a variety of methods
     to reach the LGM (and all) populations
     of farmworkers who come to Kansas to
     work and sometimes settle in our state.
    Harvest of Health Curriculum
   This information was developed for migrant and seasonal   Ernte der Gesundheit - Low
    farmworkers in Kansas.
    Harvest of the Health visual booklet. click here (pdf)
    2.69mb                                                    German
                                                              1-Wie Finde Hilfe in Kansas (wma)
   Harvest of Health - English
    1-How Do I Find Assistance in Kansas                      2-Vorbeugende Dedienung und
    (wma)                                                     Reinlichkeit (wma)
    2-Preventive Services and Hygiene                         3-Nahrung und Nahrungs
    (wma)
    3-Nutrition and Nutrition Assistance                      Unterstuetzung (wma)
    (wma)                                                     4-Bedrueckt Fuehlen (wma)
    4-Depression (wma)
    5-Alcohol Abuse and Smoking (wma)                         5-Alcohol Misbrauchen und Rauchen
    6-Family Planning (wma)                                   (wma)
    7-Hantavirus English (wma)                                6-Familie Plannen (wma)
    8-FAQs About Immigration English
    (wma)                                                     7-Hantavirus (wma)
    9-Occupational and Farm Safety (wma)                      8-Fragen ueber Einwanderung (wma)
                                                              9-Sicherkeit auf dem Farm (wma)

          http://www.kdheks.gov/olrh/FWAudioEd.htm
             Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
KSFHP Calendars

                                                                                   2009

                                               2011
 200
 8




                               2010
       Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
 Community Outreach




          LGM Health Fair in Western KS
Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
    Chronic Disease Self-Management
      & Health Promotion Groups

   Kansas Optimizing Health (based on the
    Stanford's Chronic Disease Self-.
    Management Program)

   Diabetes & Cardiovascular Disease Self-
    Management Guide from the Gateway
    Community Health Center “La Clinica”


       Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
        Focus Groups Questions

   What are the biggest health problems you and your family
    face?
   How are your healthcare needs being met?
   What are the problems you have when trying to get health
    care?
   How has your health changed since being on the Farmworker
    Health Program?
   How are you using the program?
      How are you using the Medical benefits?

      How are you using the Dental benefits?

      How are you using the Pharmacy benefits?


         Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
       Focus Groups Questions

 What works well with Farmworker Health Program or what do
  you like about the program?
 What doesn’t work well with Farmworker Health Program or
  what don’t you like about the program? What
  recommendations would you make?
 Each year we try to do things to help our families get or stay
  healthy.
  What are some of the things that you learned from KSFHP
  program activities?
    Each year we showcase a health issue through our
     calendar.
     What did you learn from this calendar?

         Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
                         KSFHP Health Survey 2009

                                                             Health Survey Comparison 2003/2009
Percentage Farmworkers




                                       50%

                                       40%
                                                                                                                            2003 LGM FWKRS
                                       30%                                                                                  2003 Latino
                                       20%                                                                                  2009 LGM
                                                                                                                            2009 Latino
                                       10%
                                       0%
                                             Never Had a Routine Mental Health Not
                                                                                     No Dentist (5yrs)   No Birth Control
                                                    Visit             Good
                         2003 LGM FWKRS             26%                27%                 19%                41%
                         2003 Latino                2%                  3%                 9%                 20%
                         2009 LGM                  3.20%               5.70%             23.60%              41.90%
                         2009 Latino               19.10%              5.40%             25.60%               27%
                                                                          Survey Questions




                                 Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
                         KSFHP Health Survey 2009

                                                           Health Survey Comparison 2003/2009

                               40%
Percentage Farmworkers




                               30%                                                                                      2003 LGM
                                                                                                                        2003 Latino
                               20%
                                                                                                                        2009 LGM

                               10%                                                                                      2009 Latino


                                0%
                                       Report Smoking   >2 drinks daily    Never Had Pap     Obese BMI   Had Flu Shot
                         2003 LGM           19%              0%                 11%             0             0
                         2003 Latino        8%               2%                 0%              0             0
                         2009 LGM         12.70%           11.80%              8.30%          36.40%       36.30%
                         2009 Latino      11.70%           12.10%              2.90%          35.30%         27%
                                                                          Survey Questions
                            Impact of Time in the U.S.?

                                                                Residency in the U.S.

                            60%
Percentage of Farmworkers




                            50%

                            40%

                                                                                                      Years in the US LGM
                            30%
                                                                                                      Years in the US Latino

                            20%

                            10%

                            0%
                                    US Born         < 5yrs US            5-10yrs US     >10yrs US
                                                           Years in the U.S.




                                  Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.
                     Questions?
      Cyndi Treaster,                              Tina Guenther,
KS Statewide Farmworker                      KS Statewide Farmworker
 Health Program (KDHE)                       Health Program (UMMAM)
1000 SW Jackson, Ste 340                         712 A St. John St
    Topeka, KS 66612                           Garden City, KS 67846
      (785) 296-8113                              (620) 952-1470
  ctreaster@kdheks.gov                        tguenther@ummam.org
  www.kdheks/gov/olrh                          www.kdheks/gov/olrh




 Our Vision – Healthy Kansans living in safe and sustainable environments.