A new bilingual hotline helps Michigan migrant workers and their families get information about the COVID-19 vaccine and other health-related matters.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Migrant Affairs is launching the toll-free number, 1-833-SIAYUDA ((833)-742-9832). “Sí ayuda” means “yes help” or “yes assistance” in Spanish.
More than two-thirds of the roughly 90,000 migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their family members in Michigan have limited English language proficiency, which may prevent them from getting access to COVID-19 vaccines and treatment. That’s according to the University of Michigan’s 2023 study “Fair Housing Access, Affordability, and Quality for Michigan Farmworkers During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond.”
Migrant Affairs staff will answer vaccine questions and connect farmworkers to vaccination clinics and resources, make appropriate referrals to local offices, and provide other MDHHS program information based upon farmworker inquiries.
For farmworker calls in languages other than English and Spanish, a translation service will be available.To find more details please go to www.michigan.gov/migrantaffairs or www.michigan.gov/help4migrants.