The Migrant Clinicians Network’s (MCN) TBNet project has been selected as the 2010 Border Models of Excellence in Tuberculosis Surveillance and Control recipient by the U.S.-México Border Health Commission (USMBHC).

"TBNet is to be recognized as a vital and integral part of tuberculosis work along the U.S.-México border," said Dan Reyna, M.S.S., M.P.A., General Manager, U.S. Section, USMBHC. “This recognition demonstrates your organization’s exceptional leadership, innovation, and determination,” Reyna continued.

“This recognition celebrates the 15 years that MCN and dedicated colleagues have devoted to ensuring that health care justice is a reality for the mobile poor,” said Ed Zuroweste, MD, Chief Medical Officer of MCN.

An outbreak of the Whooping Cough in California has gotten so bad it is now declared an epidemic. The New York Times reports five infants have died. Health authoriites urge residents - particlarly those of Latino background - get vaccinated against the disease.

For Immediate Attention:

There is a critical outbreak of pertussis (whooping cough) in California: it is classified now as an epidemic. Five infants, all Latino, have died. This is due to unrecognized pertussis in older children and adults which then infects babies before they’ve had a chance to get their shots. PLEASE spread the word through every mechanism you have that it is critical to get DTaP in adolescents and adults and to get children immunized properly. Providers are not recognizing pertussis and MUST keep this in mind with cough illnesses. Families must not fear immigration to get in for shots, and the public must understand that pertussis is not brought here by immigrants---it is local people passing it around to vulnerable populations. Please share any media resources you have with us so we can all work together! This is a NATIONAL problem as increases are also being seen in several other states.
 
We have been talking with people at CDC and have the following links for your interest. We are working on low literacy methods to assist the public.

CDC Web Feature
English - http://www.cdc.gov/Features/Pertussis/
Spanish - http://www.cdc.gov/spanish/especialesCDC/TosFerina/
 
CA Press Release
English - http://www.cdph.ca.gov/Pages/NR10-041.aspx
Spanish – http://www.cdph.ca.gov/Pages/NR10-041s.aspx
 
CA Pertussis Materials (English and Spanish)
http://www.cdph.ca.gov/HealthInfo/discond/Pages/Pertussis.aspx

MCN's Immunization Page
MCN's Immunization page.

Fresno County Community Health page
Parent and heath care provider resources eng/span
Vaccination schedule and respitory hygiene eng/span

Take the LIVESTRONG Survey for People Affected by Cancer
If you have ever been affected by cancer,
LIVESTRONG wants to hear from you.

LIVESTRONG recognizes that cancer survivors face many obstacles from the point of diagnosis and beyond. We know that cancer impacts individuals other than just the person diagnosed with cancer. The survey will provide valuable information that will help LIVESTRONG improve programs and resources for people who have been affected by cancer. Survey results will be available in late 2011.

If you qualify, take the survey at www.livestrong.org/survey2010.

If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Ruth Rechis at research@livestrong.org or (512) 236-8820

A Tool for Identifying Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers in Your Clinic. MCN recommends screening for migrant status at every clinic visit. This bilingual tool is designed to help clinic staff identify migrant and seasonal farmworkers. Clinic staff should verbally question client at every visit and determine status (migrant farmworker, seasonal farmworker, aged/disabled farmworker, not a farmworker) based on client’s responses.

Originally posted on Marc Gunther's blog

Modern-day slavery is not just about sex workers or poor people in faraway places.

Some farmworkers in the U.S., for all practical purposes, work as slaves. Laborers with few or no rights, working under inhumane conditions, typically far home, have produced such products as blueberries, organic milk, personal computers or cell phones and garments imported from India, a new report says.

Consider:

An estimated 12 to 27 million people are victims of slavery, and other forms of forced labor around the world. In the United States alone, 10,000 or more people are being forced to work at any given time.

The report, called Help Wanted: Hiring, Human Trafficking and Modern-Day Slavery in the Global Economy, was published by Verite, a non-profit based in Amherst, Mass., that monitors and reports on labor rights abuses around the world. (It was funded by Humanity United, a nonprofit focused on peace and human rights started and chaired by Pam Omidyar.) Over the years, Verite has helped identify and clean up the supply chains of such global brands as Timberland, Gap, Levi Strauss, Apple, Disney and HP.

Visit Marc Gunther's blog to ready the full post.

MCN has establish an important collaboration with the Mexican Government, thru the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (SRE)-Secretariat of Health Services (SS)-Institute of Mexicans Abroad (IME) and the Ventanillas de Salud Programs. Most recently, MCN participated at the 77th Institute of Mexicans Abroad (IME) workshop at Mexico City on the June 27-30, 2010.

Health Outreach Partners’ fourth national needs assessment of farmworker health outreach

This groundbreaking report provides a compelling summary of national data focused solely on farmworker outreach programs and the farmworker communities they serve. This is the only project of its kind that provides a national snapshot on the needs of farmworker health outreach programs.  Attached you will find a press release with additional details concerning this important report.

We encourage you to share this report with your peers by:

• Posting a link to the report in the “news” or “resource” sections of your website;
• Circulating the attached press release via your listservs; and/or
• Announcing this report in your upcoming organizational newsletter.

The valuable data included in this report can be leveraged for reporting purposes, funding proposals, program planning, and advocacy efforts to benefit the migrant and seasonal farmworker population.

From Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention and Education- Agricultural workers are at risk for heat related illnesses when they are outside in extreme heat and humidity or in hot indoor environments such as a barn or shop. Some individuals are at greater risk for heat related illnesses including those who are over 65 years of age, are overweight, have heart disease or high blood pressure, or take medications that may be affected by extreme heat. Agricultural workers are also at higher risk due to the protective clothing and equipment they wear.

Heat related illnesses that may affect agricultural workers include heat rash, heat syncope (fainting), heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. The most serious of these are heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Heat Related Illness Resources
CDC http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5724a1.htm
SEFSC http://www.sefsc.noaa.gov/HTMLdocs/heatstress.htm

See a full listing of Heat Stress resources on MCN's resource database.

Objective Reviewers are needed by BPHC to review special Populations. We need your support to enlist the maximum number of individuals who will perform a knowledgeable, professional and fair review of applicants who will be applying for NAP or other opportunities to serve populations in need and in particular Migrant/Seasonal Farmworkers and their families.

Objective reviewers must be:

• Knowledgeable in the field of endeavor or subject matter under review
• Sufficiently independent of the entity applying for assistance to be able to render an objective and unbiased evaluation
• Able to work effectively on a committee or independently as field readers
• Able to express themselves orally and in writing
• Committed to completing work assignments on time
• Able to maintain the confidentiality of applications.

OMSP would like to encourage those individuals interested in serving as reviewers to submit their information (application) via the website as soon as possible (refer to flyer for website as to where to apply to be a reviewer).

THIRD ANNUAL FREEDOM’S VOICE CONFERENCE and Soledad O'Brien Freedom's Voice Award Gala

Conference to Focus on Improving Access to Healthcare for Communities of Color
 
Community Voices: Healthcare for the Underserved invites you to the Third Annual Community Voices Freedom’s Voice Conference on October 7,  2010, at the Marriott Buckhead Hotel and Conference Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The conference, themed, “When The Gates Open: Building Linkages between Reentry and Healthcare,” focuses on needs and opportunities at a critical transition point that have society-wide impact.  The event brings together local, state, and national experts and advocates working to reform policies and improve health services and outcomes for individuals, families, and communities impacted by the criminal justice system, particularly communities of color.
 
Conference Highlights:
CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien, journalist and political commentator Jamal Simmons, and a host of other high-profile guests are among those featured as speakers for this year’s conference.
 
The conference agenda will consist of both plenary sessions and hands-on advocacy workshops led by distinguished organizational and community leaders from around the nation, including representatives from the Drug Policy Alliance and the D.C. Jail Advocacy Project of University Legal Services Protection and Advocacy.  Highlights include an interview by Soledad O’Brien with featured guests.

Farmworker Health: 20 Years of Service and Partnerships

Produced by the National Center for Farmworker Health, Inc., the Midwest Stream Farmworker Health forum is an annual conference that provides quality, farmworker specific, professional development experiences for individuals in all disciplines within migrant health. The forum offers a diverse program featuring sessions on clinical topics, lay health outreach, research, and leadership development while at the same time addressing the Bureau of Primary Health Care’s Key Health Center Program Requirements.

The Western Migrant Stream Forum (WMSF) is one of three nationally recognized migrant health forums held each year. The WMSF allows clinicians, administrators, researchers, health educators, lay health workers, and students from throughout the West to attend innovative workshops and trainings related to the health care of migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their families.

Pediculosis is a communicable disease affecting children across the nation. Checking children after school, childcare or camp is important, but nothing compares to parents checking them regularly at home so they can arrive to the group setting lice and nit free.

September marks the beginning of the school year and it's also Fruits & Veggies — More Matters™ month. This is a time when CDC joins other public and private organizations to promote eating fruits and vegetables for better health. CDC has developed a kit, Explore the World with Fruits and Vegetables, for teachers, public health professionals, and dietitians to use with children to spark their interest in fruits and vegetables. It explores cuisines from different parts of the world, and provides activities to use in geography, math, and social studies classes. The kit includes a guide, poster, recipe cards for adults and children, worksheets, and a brochure.

Septermber is Childhood Cancer Month. This month we recognize the dedication and hard work of all those scientists, health care professionals, and volunteers who are working to overcome childhood cancer and to assist its victims. We also reaffirm our admiration and support for the courageous youngsters and parents who struggle with this disease.

September is Recovery Month. The Recovery Month effort aims to promote the societal benefits of alcohol and drug use disorder treatment, laud the contributions of treatment providers and promote the message that recovery from alcohol and drug use disorders in all its forms is possible.

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. The National Ovarian Cancer Coalition (NOCC) is promoting its educational message by encouraging women to “Think T.E.A.L. – Tell Everyone About Listening.” Thousands of people will be wearing teal jelly bracelets that say “It whispers, so listen” to encourage women to listen to their bodies and know the subtle symptoms of ovarian cancer so they can alert their doctors. NOCC offers information on symptoms and treatment on its Web site at www.ovarian.org or through its press kit (available upon request). For women age 35-74, ovarian cancer it is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Symptoms of ovarian cancer include: pelvic or abdominal pain or discomfort; vague but persistent gastrointestinal upsets such as gas, nausea, and indigestion; frequency and/or urgency of urination; unexplained changes in bowel habits; unexplained weight gain or weight loss; pelvic and/or abdominal swelling or bloating; pain during intercourse; and ongoing unusual fatigue. For more information on ovarian cancer, go to www.ovarian.org or call 888-OVARIAN. The Web site also has a link to the local Divisions and provides additional information about upcoming events and activities in the area.

The National Healthy Start Association has worked with federal legislators to designate September as Infant Mortality Awareness Month. The goals of Infant Mortality Awareness Month are to increase national awareness of the contributing factors to infant mortality and urge community leaders to get involved in efforts to reduce the rate of infant mortality in this country. The National Healthy Start Association has produced a tool kit to help communities to spread the word about preventing infant mortality.

Dedicated to preventing illnesses, injuries, and deaths among farmers and ranchers, agricultural and horticultural workers, their families, and their employees.Our concern for safety in rural areas goes beyond farms and ranches. The need for our services spreads from citrus groves in the South to vineyards in the West. It covers cattle ranches in Wyoming, fisheries in Maine, and thousands of ventures in between.

For information specific to migrant and underserved populations visit MCN's Environmental and Occupational Health page.  

Refocus attention on a community that has long been affected by the HIV epidemic here in the United States and abroad. It is a call to action that comes at time of heightened complacency about HIV among gay men. Yet the nation faces a resurgence of new HIV infections among gay men. Throughout the year, community based organizations (CBOs), health departments, faith based organizations, corporations, labor organizations, elected officials and other individual and collective stakeholders participate in national HIV/AIDS Awareness Days. These days raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and often focus attention on communities or groups that are disproportionately impacted by the epidemic.

World Heart Day was created to inform people around the globe that heart disease and stroke are the world’s leading cause of death, claiming 17.1 million lives each year.