Pregnancy And Pesticides: Doctors And Lawyers Team Up To Protect Farmworkers

I visit the bottom floor of the Alisal Health Center in East Salinas in February. It’s home to the Comprehensive Perinatal Services Program, where new parents on Medi-Cal can get prenatal or postpartum care. The small lobby is filled with posters and pamphlets in Spanish. There’s a giveaway table in the corner with children's clothes and colorful toys. And tucked in the back, is something you don’t normally find at clinics: a small office with an attorney. “So every Wednesday I come from my legal office over to this health clinic where I have six appointments with farmworkers and families to provide free legal services to address health-harming legal needs that they might have," says Aaron Voit, an attorney with California Rural Legal Assistance, a nonprofit legal services program.