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Innovative approaches to health care are paying off for rural communities.

In 1975, 6-year-old Virginia Garcia and her farmworker parents traveled from their home in Texas to California and Oregon to work in the fields. Along the way, Virginia cut her foot, and by the time they reached Oregon, it had become infected. Due to economic, language and cultural barriers to health care, Virginia died from what should have been an easily treatable wound.

Moved to action by Virginia’s unnecessary death, the community rallied together to open the first Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center (VGMHC) in a three-car garage, determined to prevent similar tragedies from occurring.

Today, VGMHC provides health care services to 52,000 patients a year across two counties in Oregon. The health center consists of five primary care clinics and pharmacies, six dental clinics, a reproductive health clinic and five school-based health centers. Through its mobile health program, it also provides outreach to schools, community health fairs, local camps and commercial nurseries for migrant and seasonal farmworkers.

In 2023, VGMHC expanded its capabilities to serve patients through telehealth and improved the functionality of its mobile clinic. Since the health center’s patient base is mostly rural and made up of a large group of seasonal workers, the opportunity to handle an appointment over the phone or via other technology is critical in making sure that patients get the care they need in a timely fashion.

VGMHC health care providers serving through the mobile health program.

Telehealth has also added efficiency for VGMHC. “If we had 10 providers in a clinic, and if two providers a day could work from home or a telehealth-specific office, then every patient who wants a telehealth visit would have access,” commented Angie Hurley, Director of Operations at VGMHC. “It also means that those two providers are not using exam rooms and medical assistants and so that increases our capacity by 20% without having to hire more people.”

Hurley also emphasized the importance of telehealth options to the patient experience and the community in general. “People should have access to low-barrier health care in the way that serves them best. The telehealth option allows our community and our patients to decide how they want to access care.”

It’s also a valuable tool in case of an extreme weather event. During an ice storm earlier this year that would have normally ceased clinic operations and impacted more than 1,000 patients across Virginia Garcia's system, staff were able to pivot and provide care to their patients remotely.

“Imagine you have been waiting for four or five weeks for an appointment and then the day finally comes and there's ice and the clinic is closed… What that generally does is drive people to the emergency department for things that are not emergencies,” explained Hurley. “When that happens, the total cost of care for patients goes up and we as a society end up paying for that need. It’s not the best care. It’s not continuity of care.”

Previously, VGMHC had limited laptops to serve all telehealth and mobile program needs. A recent expansion, made possible by a grant from AgWest Farm Credit through its Local Advisory Committee (LAC) Guided Stewardship program, has allowed VGMHC to purchase 46 laptops and three locking charging stations, which will expand options for accessing care for about 18,000 patients across combined sites in mostly rural areas with a high number of agricultural workers and their families.

Alex Sokol Blosser, President & Second-Generation Winegrower at Sokol Blosser Winery and AgWest LAC Member in Dayton, Oregon, brought forward the funding need to his peers at AgWest, reiterating the importance of this clinic to the agricultural community in his part of the state. “It’s interesting, because the people who work for us have health insurance, and they go to Virginia Garcia. Other people in our area who don’t have health insurance — they still go to Virginia Garcia. They are the preferred health care provider, and it is because they are trusted in the community.”

Stewardship investments at AgWest are guided in part by its customers, including LAC members like Sokol Blosser, who live in and understand the needs of rural communities. This guidance helps to ensure stewardship investments are made in ways that will help rural communities thrive.

Sokol Blosser emphasized, “It’s a fundamental need to have health care. For people to have a place, a safe place to go to get care is important.”

Angie Hurley is excited about the ability for VGMHC to provide that fundamental care to its seasonal client base more efficiently. “The season’s first visit (to a seasonal worker camp) is this summer, and now that we have this bank of computers, we're able to reassign staff to go out with a laptop that's all set up and ready to go. It will make a huge difference.”

Whether through its brick-and-mortar health care centers and outreach services or with its mobile clinic and new telehealth options, Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center is living out its mission to be a catalyst for change in health care delivery. It is also honoring the memory of Virginia Garcia with every patient served.

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