The first MCN External Advisory Board (EAB) was established with 10 standing members and 10 ad hoc members in June 2015. The EAB is a PEER TECHNICAL AND SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE established to promote cross-disciplinary collaboration and to give expert advice on community-based participatory research and the development and expansion of MCN programs. The distinguished members offer a breadth of professional expertise to advance MCN’s mission. During the first year of service, our EAB members participated in more than 44 ACTIVITIES AMONG 10 MCN STAFF. This totaled more than 246 direct hours of collaboration by providing their expertise and technical assistance in grant and award preparation, scientific consultation, conference planning, and expanding the vision of MCN among their constituencies.

Available in English and Spanish!

Created by MCN, medical student Rachel Kelley of UCSF, and collaborators at East Tennessee State University, this guide is intended to be a reference for health care providers who work with people employed in the U.S. tomato industry. It aims to prepare providers with a more detailed understanding of hazards, health issues, and work processes associated with different tomato industry jobs.

This guide draws on published research, experienced health professionals’ advice, and information gathered from interviews and focus groups conducted with 36 tomato workers from diverse backgrounds and 14 community leaders familiar with tomato workers’ health in multiple states. It is important to note that health and safety conditions at any particular farm or company may vary from what is described here. Furthermore, individual workers may experience the same set of conditions differently.

The first section of the guide focuses on health hazards and health conditions commonly encountered in tomato production. The second section consists of detailed descriptions and illustrations of different tomato production tasks. The third section covers “human resources” information and policies that apply to U.S. agricultural workers generally. The appendices contain a Spanish-English glossary, further detail about different types of pesticides, information about agricultural occupational health policies and regulation, and a list of resources and readings.

View on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/BaoGtp0BajU

Download the video using link below:

Aedes species mosquitoes transmit chikungunya virus, as well as dengue and Zika viruses, and bite most often during the day.* Infectious mosquito bites frequently occur in and around homes (1,2). Caribbean countries first reported local transmission of chikungunya virus in December 2013, and soon after, chikungunya virus spread throughout the Americas (3). Puerto Rico reported its first laboratory-positive chikungunya case in May 2014 (4), and subsequently identified approximately 29,000 suspected cases throughout the island by the end of 2015 ...

Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause congenital microcephaly and brain abnormalities (1,2). Since 2015, Zika virus has been spreading through much of the World Health Organization’s Region of the Americas, including U.S. territories. Zika virus is spread through the bite of Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, by sex with an infected partner, or from a pregnant woman to her fetus during pregnancy.* CDC estimates that 41 states are in the potential range of Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus mosquitoes (3), and on July 29, 2016, the Florida Department of Health identified an area in one neighborhood of Miami where Zika virus infections in multiple persons are being spread by bites of local mosquitoes. Read full article here.

This toolkit is intended to guide local public health agency staff in (1) developing, implementing, and evaluating emergency drills and exercises, and (2) facilitating the public health aspects of larger, multiagency emergency exercise events. The toolkit provides essential guidance including templates, checklists, and forms to assist with every stage of the exercise process. Emphasis is on identification of objectives during the planning phase, a critical step for ensuring a meaningful post-exercise evaluation.

Safety Awareness for Responders to Hurricanes: Protecting Yourself While Helping Others in English and Spanish. This comprehensive guide to protective measures for cleanup workers covers a wide variety of potential hazards.