The Little Nest: Survival of the Fittest

Today Luis has aches and a fever. Instead of seeking medical care, he arrives at the “Little Nest”, bundled and shaking. He doesn’t want to miss work. After his usual 12 hour day, he is dropped back at the bridge. He immediately heads to DeFlorio’s Market at the foot of the Lowe Street Bridge where he and almost half of his fellow undocumented companions often seek herbal tea and herbs. A culture that customarily looks to alternative, holistic medications and treatments, many day laborers have treated themselves for a health problem with “remedies learned from home.”

To begin to understand the men who gather every morning at the “Little Nest”, you must be willing to open your eyes, ask the right questions, listen and think. An outstanding group of students from the Center for Youth Leadership at Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk did just that in 2008. The students surveyed 107 day laborers and produced a report entitled “Through Their Eyes I See My Family” – Health Care Needs of Day Laborers in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Luis and his companions are from Mexico (55%), Honduras (21%), Guatemala (16%), with the rest from Colombia, Argentina, Peru and El Salvadore. The average age is 29-years-old with a range spanning from a mere 15-years-old all the way to 56-years-old. 68% report their last general check-up as greater than 2 years ago and 71% report never having received a Tetanus vaccination. Among this population, the top health issues are colds, aches and fever(74%), dental (62%) and eye problems (54%), stomach (38%) and depression (57%). The laborers who have struggled with alcoholism and suffered from depression while in the United States site the causes as missing family and friends and not finding enough work to support families back home. In addition, 19% know day laborers who have contracted a sexually transmitted disease during their time in the United States.

Often reluctant or unable to seek medical care, the men state the following as reasons: not enough money for transportation (39%), not enough money to pay for care (57%), didn’t want to miss work (67%), concerned that health care provider would not speak their language (53%), concerned about ability to complete medical forms (61%) and worried about legal status (29%). These statistics are not surprising when you consider that 78% of the day laborers say no one has ever explained the medical system in the United States to them and 72% report that a health official has never talked to them about Lyme disease.

Frequently placed on dangerous jobs without proper safety precautions, 54% of the men have been hurt on the job, while 43% have not been provided with protective gear by contractors, and only 7% have had a contractor offer to help pay for job and non-job related injuries. In fact, 17% have been pressured by contractors to not seek medical attention.

Luis purchases a packet of herbal tea from DeFlorio’s to treat his aches and fever. He knows that he won’t have enough to eat tonight because he wasn’t paid for his work today. But, this is really no different than any other day; help and answers feel too distant to even imagine.

The students from Brien McMahon High School had the insight to see these men, ask questions, listen and think.

Perhaps in doing so, Luis may someday be given wings so that he can fly.

Based on a true stories and the research conducted by members of the Peace Project - Brien McMahon High School Center for Youth Leadership: “Through Their Eyes I see My Family." Health Care Needs of Day Laborers in Norwalk, Connecticut, June 2008.