Surveillance data show that pesticide-related illness is an important cause of acute morbidity among migrant farm workers in California. Exposures occur in various ways (e.g., residues, drift), suggesting that the use of pesticides creates a hazardous work environment for all farm workers  Improved education for health care providers should be a priority. Growers should be educated about alternative forms of pest control and incentives should be provided to encourage their use.

The authors describe the growth of the Occupational Pesticide Poisoning Surveillance Program at the Texas Department of Health. The program was based on a Sentinel Event Notification System for Occupational Risks(SENSOR) model, using sentinel providers to report cases. The number of confirmed occupational cases increased from 9 workers in 1987 to 99 workers in 1996.

Hombres Unidos is a peer-led workshop focused on the primary prevention of sexual and intimate partner violence (s/ipv) with Latino migrant men.  Developed in 2005 with the support from the Centers for Disease and Control, this five session workshop is implemented using a popular education technique (Paulo Freire) which is a concept that incorporates notions of class, political struggle and social transformation.  

This webinar (sponsored by the Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs) focuses on the collaborative development of a primary prevention workshop for Latino migrant men, the evaluation of the workshop, and the continuing effort on engaging Latino migrant men as allies with women in s/ipv prevention after the five session workshop.

After this webinar, participants will be able to identify:

• methods on how to begin a conversation on sexual and intimate partner violence with Latino migrant men
• process and outcome evaluation techniques on a primary prevention workshop developed for a specific population
• efforts to continue to engage Latino migrant men in sexual and intimate partner violence prevention
• how to incorporate existing efforts with your population

Recording & Materials

• Audio & Visual Recording
• Slides

During the webinar, Adrian referenced a few handouts that are used in the program.  Below you will find a few of these in Spanish.

• Continuum of Emtional & Psychological Abuse
• Equality Wheel
• Immigrant Power & Control Wheel
• Power & Control Wheel

The CHAMACOS study is a longitudinal birth cohort study examining chemicals and other factors in the environment and children's health. 

In 1999-2000, CHAMACOS enrolled 601 pregnant women living in the agircultural Salinas Valley.  They are following their children through age 12 to measure their exposures to pesticides and other chemicals and to determine if this exposure impacts their growth, health, and development. 

Print, cut, and distribute this handy bookmark to providers who treat migrant and seasonal farmworker patients. The bookmark includes links and a qr code to connect you to pesticide - related clinical tools and resources. In addition, we've included some useful phone numbers in case of a pesticide emergency.

You can also use the bookmark to keep handy the Health Network phone number to be sure your patients on the move remain in care.

Families Talking Together (FTT) is an evidence based program designed to help Latino parents better communicate with their children and teens about healthy relationships, sex, contraceptive use, and preventing pregnancy.  Dr. Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, the creator of the program and co-director of the Center for Latino Adolescent and Family Health at New York University’s Silver School of Social work, along with Planned Parenthood Los Angeles and Visión y Compromiso, recently enlisted 25 promotores (community health workers) from three communities in California with high rates of teen pregnancy and high percentages of Latinos in an effort to help Latino parents address teen pregnancy. Over a four-day period, the 25 promotores were trained to deliver the FTT intervention.  In the next two months, the promotores will deliver the intervention to 250 families in California.  The National Campaign wishes to recognize and thank Dr. Guilamo-Ramos, PPLA, and Visión y Compromiso for their work on this innovative and important project. 

The FTT intervention—both the community health worker curriculum and parent materials---are available online, free of charge.  

Two high-production value, Spanish radio public service announcements(PSAs) to promote HIV testing services at local agencies. One PSA targets men and the other women. Each PSA features a blank space for you to record your organization’s contact information. Provided by Farmworker Justice

A directory of organizations working to promote health and prevent HIV/AIDS in California, Florida, North Carolina, Oregon, and Texas.

Provided by Farmworker Justice

Geoffrey M. Calvert, Walter A. Alarcon, Ann Chelminski,Mark S. Crowley, Rosanna Barrett, Adolfo Correa, SheilaHiggins, Hugo L. Leon, Jane Correia, Alan Becker,Ruth H. Allen and Elizabeth Evans

doi:10.1289/ehp.9647 (available at http://dx.doi.org/) Online 21 February 2007

The Occupational Health and Safety Resource Center is a virtual repository of Spanish educational materials, data sources, and links to bilingual informational websites on occupational health and safety issues related to agricultural work. It also contains an ample list of national and state agencies that have produced materials in Spanish for farmworkers’ health-related problems.

MCNs own Deliana Garcia helped in being a part of the advisory committee to this resource center.

What is the objective?  To facilitate a central access point to high quality Spanish educational materials on agricultural occupational health and safety issues for people conducting work on health promotion and prevention activities and on workers’ rights and problems related to agricultural work.

Who are the target audiences? Health-outreach workers (promotores), community advocates, health providers, contractors/employers, farmworkers and their families, and others interested in the health and safety issues of agricultural workers.

What areas are included? The materials cover five key relevant areas: 1) Farmworkers’ rights; 2) Injury prevention; 3) Respiratory illnesses; 4) Heat illnesses; and 5) Pesticide exposure.

How did we do it? To develop the Virtual Resource Center, the process entailed:

• Asset mapping of educational, informational and research materials available in Spanish related to the five mentioned areas.
• Selection of materials using the following criteria: accurate information, culturally and linguistically adequate (including literacy level), relevant to health area, and visually acceptable quality.
• Insertion of resources into an excel format under five different categories, including source, type of material, and description of its content.

Development of new materials: to complement the existing educational resources, we developed a “Promotores Training Manual on Occupational Health and Safety of Agricultural Workers”.  Based on an ethnographic framework, the manual presents the perspective of agricultural workers on the five mentioned areas (their stories) and provides community health workers with tools on how to conduct prevention and promotion activities. It also refers them to existing resources.  We also produced a series of Spanish and selected indigenous languages Public Service Announcements (PSAs) on these areas.

This webinar is the fifth in a series of seven in our Clinician Orienatation to Migration Health.

DATE RECORDED: Wednesday, June 12^th, 2013
PRESENTED BY: Dr. Jennie McLaurin, MD, MPH, Specialist in Child and Migrant Health, Migrant Clinicians Network

To view the recorded version of this webinar, click here.

Much of the medical home model is predicated on a relatively stable population that can access regular care at a single network of providers.  So how can this model effectively transfer to a mobile population?  One of the key elements needed is a more expansive vision of a medical home beyond a single geographic location.  This session will explore strategies to create a patient centered medical home for patients on the move.  The session will include an update and overview of MCN’s Health Network to manage critical health care issues such as infectious disease, Cancer, Diabetes and Pre-natal patient navigations.  Participants will also be engaged in a discussion around best practices in tracking outcomes and reporting test results to patients.  Presenters will highlight innovative promising practices in the creation of patient centered medical homes for migrant patients.

California Poison Control System developed an online game that focuses on poison prevention through the use of "look-a-like" pills and candy. There are other resources on the site. The game is available as an app on itunes and in the android marketplace. Search for 'Choose your Poison.'

Part 4 of 7 webinars in the CLINICIAN ORIENTATION TO MIGRATION HEALTH series.

DATE RECORDED: May 15, 2013

PRESENTERS: Amy K. Leibman, MPA, MA, Director of Environmental and Occupational Health, Migrant Clinicians Network

Dr. Mike Rowland, MD, MPH, Vice President, Medical Affairs and Medical Director, Occupational Health, Franklin Memorial Hospital

OBJECTIVES:

• Recognize the unique health risks of migrants due to their working conditions and environment
• Identify promising practices in environmental and occupational health that are feasible to implement in Migrant and Community Health Centers
• Utilize online clinical and patient education tools and resources to recognize, prevent and manage environmental and occupaional illnesses and injuries

Carlos Eduardo Siqueira, MD, ScD, Megan Gaydos, MPH, Celeste Monforton, Dr PH, MPH, Craig Slatin, ScD, MPH, Liz Borkowski, BA, Peter Dooley, MS, CIH, CSP, Amy Liebman, MPA, MA, Erica Rosenberg, JD, Glenn Shor, PhD, MPP, and Matthew Keifer, MD, MPH

Background This article introduces some key labor, economic, and social policies that historically and currently impact occupational health disparities in the United States.

Methods We conducted a broad review of the peer-reviewed and gray literature on the effects of social, economic, and labor policies on occupational health disparities.

Results Many populations such as tipped workers, public employees, immigrant workers, and misclassified workers are not protected by current laws and policies, including worker’s compensation or Occupational Safety and Health Administration enforcement of standards. Local and state initiatives, such as living wage laws and community benefit agreements, as well as multiagency law enforcement contribute to reducing occupational health disparities.

Conclusions There is a need to build coalitions and collaborations to command the resources necessary to identify, and then reduce and eliminate occupational disparities by establishing healthy, safe, and just work for all.