Mr. Chairman. I have some information which I put before the Committee which I Intend to place in the RECORD at this point: I would like to take this opportunity to bring to your attention some Information that my office has developed with respect to the Federally funded Migrant Health Program. While I understand that the bill under consideration today does not contain funds for migrant health programs. since new authorization is pending. I nevertheless wanted to bring this information to your attention. I hope it may be helpful during your funding deliberations later this year. As you know. during your hearings on this bill. a number of questions dealing primarily with the cost of migrant health programs were submitted to the Department. In my opinion. HEWs answers. appearing in Part III of your hearings. were less than satisfactory. I was particularly interested In the fact that the statistics on the migrant health project in my district was listed as being "not available." It just so happens that the cost to the Federal government for each patient treated by the Agricultural Workers Health Project of the San Joaquin County Medical Society is one of the lowest in the nation. I am also proud of the societys program from the standpoint of the quality of the care that it provides. My concern. Mr. Chairman. Is that this exemplary project is not receiving the level of Federal support that It deserves In order to administer to the migrant health population. By way of background. It is apparent that there has been a conflict between the San Joaquin project and the Department of Health. Education. and Welfare. This conflict centers around the philosophy of health care delivery to migrants. In meeting with members of the San Joaquin Migrant Health Program. they advised me that HEW has been insistent with respect to the construction of a permanent facility for the care of migrants as a quid pro quo for additional money. But it has been demonstrated again and again that medical care must be taken to migrants at their campsites and to take care of more serious problems subsequently at the hospital or a physicians office. I believe too. Mr. Chairman. that there is a desire on the part of certain individuals in the Migrant Health Program to discriminate against medical health programs Initiated and closely related to medical societies. I would point out. however. that the San Joaquin project does have a board made up of consumers who can see the value of a responsive and responsible migrant health program. They have no desire to mix politics and medicine but to merely make sure their compatriots in the field have adequate health care. These consumer board members are mystified by HEWs refusal to Increase the scope of the San Joaquin project.
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migrant migrants Migrant