Speech #900242136

Mr. President. it was my pleasure to support the passage. Tuesday. of S. 2688. the Migrant Health Services Act of 1968. Clearly this is an important piece of legislation that directly affects the lives of thousands of our fellow citizensthe migrant farm families who move back and forth across the land to pick the crops. In past years there has been little attempt to meet even the basic health needs of these people. It was not until 1962. under the Kennedy administration. that the first national law was enacted specifically to provide health care for migrants. It is reported that prior to the enactment of that law. only two clinics in the entire United States provided systematic health care for migrantsone in California and one in Florida. It is estimated that less than 10 clinics provided health services to these people. even on a sporadic basis. As the very capable Senator from New Jersey has stated: Before this program was launched. there simply was no medical care available for migrant farmworkers. except for grave emergencies and frequently not even then. As a result of the commitment undertaken in the Migrant Health Act of 1962a commitment reaffirmed and expanded in 1965the migrants of America finally have begun to receive the health services which the rest of us have long considered routine. I am informed that there are now some 200 clinics across America offering essential health services for migrants. at least during the seasons when these farmworkers move into the area served by the clinic. Prior to 1962. it was rare that a migrant family ever saw a doctors office. even in an emergency. Today. we are beginning to reach these people and bring them the health services they need. It is estimated. for example. that 300.000 migrants lived in areas served by migrant health projects in calendar year 1967projects funded and developed by the act passed in 1962 and amended in 1965. An estimated 141.000 of these migrants had need of and received medical and dental care offered by these projects. In Texas. where more than half of the homebased migrant families live. an estimated 124.000 migrants are within migrant health project areas. It is reported that 26.300 of them required and received medical treatment in 1967. Prior to 1962. when Congress enacted the Migrant Health Act of that year. the migrants would have been without hope of getting the health care they so badly needed. We are making progress. The passage..