Background
Since 1975, the National Advisory Council on Migrant Health (NACMH) has provided advice, consultation, and recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) on the health, wellbeing, and health care needs of migratory and seasonal agricultural workers in the US. The Council is housed under the Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) and works closely with the Migrant Health Program, a part of the Office of Minority and Special Populations.
Members of the Council
The 12-member council is selected by the Secretary of Health and Human Services for four-year terms. Each of the members are from governing boards of a health center program grantee [1], like a Federally Qualified Health Center, and at least nine of the members are current patients at their affiliated health center. In practice, this results in at least three-quarters of the Council coming from underserved populations served by the health center program. Consequently, the Council offers practical knowledge about the health needs and health care access of agricultural workers, which assists in the formation and implementation of federal policy regarding the health needs of agricultural workers.
Meetings
The Council holds three meetings per year, all of which are open to the public. To further inform the Council members on the health needs and realities of US agricultural workers, each meeting features a number of presentations from experts on agricultural worker issues, addressing the status of agricultural worker health, both regionally and nationwide. NACMH solicits input from non-profit organizations, government agencies, agricultural workers themselves, and others. Meeting announcements, with date and time, location, and agenda summaries, are made via the Federal Register [2]. Updates can be found at the NACMH webpage [3].