Migrant Farmworker Housing Program, Orleans County Health Department

Migrant Farmworker Housing Program, Orleans County Health Department

John Rich, Public Health Sanitarian and Francisco G. Meza Aguero, Public Health Sanitarian (from left to right)

In Orleans County, nestled on the southern shore of Lake Ontario, the County is known for their competitive sports fishing and agricultural production. Delicious and bountiful crops of apples, peaches, pears, grapes, berries and a wide variety of vegetables grow in the fertile soils of their region. The real backbone of their fruit and vegetable industry are the migrant and seasonal farmworkers who live in more than sixty permitted Migrant Farmworker Housing Facilities (MFWH). These facilities have long dealt with public health issues. Public Health Sanitarians Francisco Meza-Aguero and John Rich of the Orleans County Health Department have worked with persistence, commitment and dedication to effectively improve farmworker housing conditions and to bring these long standing community facilities into compliance with the standards of the New York State Sanitary Code, Part 15.

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