By: Yolanda Pinzon Uribe, Outreach Director
In the mountains of Western North Carolina, where farmworkers rise before dawn and finish only when the fields fall dark, health care is often out of reach. Long hours, dangerous work, and distance from clinics mean many go without care until illness becomes severe. That is where Vecinos steps in.
Founded in 2004, Vecinos is a free, bilingual clinic that now serves patients through two fixed locations and two mobile medical units that travel directly to farms. But what truly sets Vecinos apart is its outreach team—community health workers who not only translate the language of medicine but also help families navigate food insecurity, housing, and transportation so they can focus on their health.
Patients describe the difference in simple but powerful ways. One farmworker explained:
“With Vecinos I have my annual checkup, something I never had in my home country. There, you only go to the doctor when you are very sick, that is what we do. At Vecinos I get labs, medicine refills, and I don’t pay a dollar. When I needed an ultrasound, a Community Health Worker picked me up early in the morning and even helped me with the copay. They helped me through the whole process.”
The care goes beyond the clinic walls. After Hurricane Helene swept through the region last year, Vecinos’ Community Health Workers were among the first to arrive with food, heaters, clothing, and even money for repairs. “They never come empty-handed,” another patient recalled. “They wanted to be sure I was okay—and my family too. I will always be grateful.”
Others describe the ongoing relationship as life-changing:
“I have a Vecinos Community Health Worker who checks on me regularly—asking if I’m exercising, how my meals are, giving me ideas for eating healthier without giving up the foods I love. Vecinos really cares about my health.”
For farmworkers who work from sunrise to sundown, the flexibility of Vecinos is essential. Evening hours, home visits, and a phone call answered late at night make the difference between being left behind and being cared for.
“It’s not always easy for us to get an appointment—we work all the time,” one patient said. “But when we call Vecinos at night, they always answer and help us. They listen to us and take the time… and that is something we really appreciate.”
Western North Carolina has some of the state’s highest rates of chronic disease and mental health challenges. Vecinos is changing that reality—meeting patients on the farms, in their homes, and in the clinic—bringing health care that is truly for the people who feed us all.
Vecinos provides more than health care—it offers dignity, trust, and a community of care.