Local communities provide 

 most of the resources for immigrants, 

 including health care and education, 

 the Kenan study shows. 



In recent years, immigrant 

 families began using more health 

 care centers, enrolling their children 

 in schools, attending church 

 and taking advantage of more 

 community resources, Griffith says. 

 They also are providing key labor 

 services for many coastal industries, 

 he adds. 



"It's a myth that immigrants 

 don't pay taxes," Griffith says, 

 adding "so they're as entitled to 

 community resources as citizens." 



For almost 30 years, Tri- 

 County Community Health Council in Newton 

 Grove has served Hispanic migrant workers. 



"About 60 percent of our client population is 

 Hispanic," says Connie Wooten, marketing director 

 of Tri-County Council. "Out of about 167 staff 

 members, more than half are bilingual." 



Wooten says the staff deals with language 

 and cultural barriers. "Some of the places that our 

 patients come from have very different medical 

 practices than what we are accustomed to in the 

 United States," she says. "We've had patients who 

 had mercury injected into their arms to ward off evil 

 spirits. Some put bags with special herbs and oils 

 underneath their clothes." 



Because of this, the staff must re-educate 

 patients about medicine and healthcare, including 

 managing diabetes. 



"Diabetes is at epidemic levels among the 

 Hispanic population," Wooten says. They often 

 eat a traditional Latin diet rich in rice, flour and 

 com tortillas, and cheese that can be harmful for a 

 diabetic. 



"Our staff must work extra hard to educate TOR David Griffith and Carolina Ramirez work on the Sea Grant-funded study 



the population about lifestyle and diet changes," of immigrant populations. 50TTOM: Pamlico Packing Company in Vandemere 



says Wooten. The staff members also provide brings in workers from Mexico under the H-Z5 visa program, 



transportation for pregnant women and information 



on sexually transmitted diseases. (DPI). About 60,000 ESL students are native Spanish speakers. 



The state's public school systems are also adapting to the growing "The numbers are larger near interstates," says Fran Hoch, section 



Hispanic population. Across North Carolina, there were more than 83,000 chief of DPI's K- 1 2 program areas and ESL. 

 English as Second Language (ESL) public school students in 2005 in For example, Hoch says the number of ESL students increased in 



grades K- 1 2, according to the N.C. Department of Public Instruction Duplin County Schools from 1 ,447 in 2004 to more than 1 ,600 in 2005. 



14 Cousfwatch I Holiday 2006 I www.ncseagrant.org 



