“Poder Popular para la Salud del Pueblo” (The Power of the People for the Health of the Community), a new community organization designed to empower agricultural workers, was inaugurated September 2005 in Salinas, CA. During the launch Assemblyman Simon Salinas (D-Salinas) said of the multiple health issues affecting the community, “If we don’t do something about the conditions, we’ll always be dealing with the symptoms.”

Also known as “Poder Popular,” it is a three-year community-building initiative aimed at improving conditions in the fields, communities and in health care. Poder Popular is based in 10 agricultural communities in California with the lead demonstration sites in North Tulare County and the Salinas Valley (Monterey County). The Monterey County sites are located in Greenfield, Gonzales, and parts of Salinas.  

Poder Popular supports community health centers in developing models for prevention and treatment of occupational/environmental health, illness and injury through community education and outreach. Staff arranges the coordination and distribution of resources for leadership development, community education and awareness, problem solving and advocacy. Community health promoters, known as “promotoras,” work within local communities to create strategies to nurture leadership among farm workers.

Nicolas Sandoval, program coordinator for the Gonzales site, has made improving the health of agricultural workers a top priority. He also mentioned he will bring representatives from a variety of community agencies together to address community health needs. “To achieve lasting improvements in the health and well-being of agricultural workers, it is essential for workers and their families to understand the politics and opportunities in places they work and live.”

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