The Racetrack Clinic
The Challenge:
Suffolk Downs Race Track in East Boston employs thousands of seasonal and migrant workers at relatively low wages. Many are homeless, with some living in the tack rooms of the stables, among the saddles and bridles. They are often uninsured and have little or no access to medical care.
The Solution:
Since 1992, BHCHP has operated a unique clinic at the race track that brings health services to the migrant grooms and stable hands - some from the U.S., many from Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador.
Twice each week, a BHCHP physician and nurse offer health services in a small white trailer on the backstretch of the track. They address workers' chronic health problems, like heart disease and diabetes, and deal with urgent medical needs and job-related injuries.
Over the years, BHCHP staff have established close, trusting relationships with many of these patients. For a good number of track employees, this BHCHP clinic is their sole contact with the healthcare system.
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