HOP History

History

On June 15, 1970, Health Outreach Partners began as a small, direct service program working with five local communities along the East Coast and by the summer of 1973 that number had grown to 15 communities. At that time, HOP outreach staff was stationed in small, poor, rural areas where oftentimes clinics did not yet exist. HOP continued expanding its staff to meet the increasing demands from numerous communities along the Eastern seaboard until January 2001, when its service area encompassed 17 states.

In 2001, HOP leveraged its 30 years of direct service experience and leadership in health outreach and prevention strategies into a training and technical assistance role serving Migrant and Community Health Centers nationwide.

Now, with nearly 40 years of experience in health outreach, HOP is excited to announce a new scope and mission To build strong, effective, and sustainable grassroots health models by partnering with local community-based organizations across the country in order to improve the quality of life of low-income, vulnerable, and underserved populations.

Key Historical Accomplishments

Since 1970, Health Outreach Partners has been at the forefront of elevating the importance of outreach, recognizing the critical role it plays in increasing access to primary care and facilitating case management, health promotion and disease prevention, and related social services to farmworkers and their families.

For nearly four decades, it has successfully applied models of outreach, health education, health promotion, and disease prevention to the farmworker/migrant health field and popularized these methods as legitimate and effective long before their widespread use in other health fields. Some of HOP’s milestone accomplishments are listedÂ below.

HOP receives funding for the inception of the East Coast Migrant Head Start Project, which spun off and self incorporated in 1978.

In partnership with the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA), HOP administers the Migrant Assurance Program, an outreach-based voucher reimbursement model implemented to guarantee medical services for farmworkers from private physicians in Virginia.

With its growing success in advancing health outreach models, HOP receives funding for a sister organization in the Midwest, marking the inception of Migrant Health Promotion, formerly the Midwest Migrant Health Information Office. This entity spun off and self incorporated in 1989 and is now a leader in Promotor/a models.

HOP conducts the Florida Freeze Project, an outreach-centered emergency relief to 16,000 farmworkers after a catastrophic freeze devastates Floridaâ€™s winter crops and leaves tens of thousands of farmworkers without work.

HOP leverages its 30 years of direct service experience and leadership in health outreach and prevention strategies into a training and technical assistance role serving Migrant and Community Health Centers nationwide.

HOP receives funding to open a new headquarters office in Oakland, California.

HOP responds to changing labor populations by changing its name from Farmworker Health Services, Inc. and announcing a new vision, mission, and scope. After over 37 years of experience, HOP is expanding its client scope beyond health centers to include Migrant and Seasonal Head Start agencies, health departments, housing agencies, and all other community-based organizations where farmworkers may be accessing care.

In 2010 the Affordable Care Act was enacted into law and in 2013 Health Outreach Partners prepared to support health centers through outreach programs to encourage enrollment in Medicaid programs that support whole person health.

After almost 20 years, Health Outreach Partners welcomed new leadership and organizational change.