Author: Abigail Carpenter
This article is part of a series on rural challenges and success stories in Western North Carolina, commissioned by Hometown Strong, Governor Cooper’s initiative to support rural communities. To read more about Hometown Strong, please visit hometownstrong.nc.gov. Each essay is a lightly edited interview with Abigail Carpenter, the HTS Narratives of Success Apprentice with Hometown Strong.
Vecinos is a nonprofit located in Cullowhee, North Carolina. The nonprofit started after founders Josie Ellis and Mark Heffington began providing healthcare to uninsured farmworkers in Cullowhee through an initiative with the Jackson County Department of Public Health. From there, they formed the structure of the nonprofit in 2004, choosing the name Vecinos, meaning neighbors in Spanish. The mission of Vecinos has grown and expanded since its founding, now serving all low-income, uninsured people in need of medical care in the region while still prioritizing the Spanish-speaking community.
I sat down with Marianne Martinez, chief executive director at Vecinos. She cheerfully spoke of the organization and its mission, focusing on health and wellness for uninsured agriculture workers and beyond. Vecinos doesn’t just focus on primary care but also focuses on the entire wellness of the patient. This means they assist with housing, legal services, domestic violence advocacy, and nutritional education.
A large part of nutritional education is the Harvest Health Program, led by Jess Mrugala, which teaches recipients of healthy food boxes how to create meals utilizing the food they receive. Unfortunately, Marianne noted, those who provide us with our food are often struggling to access food themselves. One-half of farm workers are food insecure, meaning that they are often more at risk for diseases that are caused by a poor diet. The Harvest Health Program empowers patients to incorporate local, nutrient-dense foods into their diet in a culturally relevant way.
Vecinos has had a large impact in Western North Carolina, serving six counties. For twenty years they have provided critical care and wellness services to impoverished and uninsured populations across the region. Especially for the Spanish-speaking community, healthcare can be inaccessible. Many medical centers in Western North Carolina do not offer reliable translating services, which are essential to informing the patient and getting their consent for procedures. Vecinos has translators that bridge the gap to ensure quality care for patients.
All of the services provided by Vecinos would not be possible without grant funding, which provides around half of their annual budget. Marianne shared some challenges that the organization faces with grant applications. With such pressing needs in the community, the need for their services only continues to grow, which makes it difficult to properly fund the expansion of the organization. Grant applications also take extensive time away from the organization’s other priorities such as patient services. However, Vecinos does take advantage of resources that provide lists of grants and guidelines for applications. These grant assistance services are essential to maintaining their mission and allow the organization to be competitive applicants for grant funding.
Being a rural nonprofit in Western North Carolina often comes with one common challenge - internet access. Struggles with internet access affect the clinic’s Wifi, making it difficult to service patients and access their charts. Since the pandemic, telehealth has become a valuable resource for those who might not have the time or resources to attend in-person doctor visits. Servicing mainly agricultural workers, the Vecinos telehealth program can increase access to care for workers who cannot make an in-person appointment. However, due to the high costs of the internet in the area and limited reliability, telehealth appointments are not an option for many Vecinos patients.
I then asked Marianne to share a moment when she saw the mission of Vecinos being fulfilled. She recalled the story of a mother who had received their services a few years ago. The woman had to drive almost two hours to the nearest labor and delivery center to deliver her baby. Once she had arrived, there were no translation services available. Due to the vast Vecinos network, a staff member close to the hospital rushed to meet the family and to translate medical information. This crucial service allowed for the mother to be properly informed after complications that led to an emergency c-section. After the baby was born, the family was transferred to a hospital in Charlotte, almost five hours from their home, to receive further care. Vecinos supplied transportation, translation services, and food assistance to the family.
While the family has since moved away from Western North Carolina, they recently reunited with Vecinos staff. Marianne beamed with pride telling me about their beautiful daughter, who is no longer the baby that Vecinos staff advocated for tirelessly. The family shared the impact that the organization had in their life, and how they might not have their child here today without their assistance. Marianne shared that the best part of her job is knowing that the organization creates stories just like this one every day.
To learn more about Vecinos or support their mission, please visit: https://vecinos.org/