Dear Farmworker Health Colleagues,

Deb Norton of the NC Farmworker Health Program just shared this with
me and it seemed good information for all of us regarding telephone
interpretation services through Verizon.  Please see below and thanks
to Deb for sharing!


Kristie McComb
Farmworker Health Services, Inc.


Verizon Wireless has contracted with Language Line Services to offer
Verizon Prepaid Interpretation Service.  The medical practice
purchases a prepaid card, which provides on-demand access to "live,
professional, medically certified interpreters in over 170
languages".  The list does include Mixteco, and they state that they
will add languages based on customer needs (for those of us looking
for interpreters for indigenous languages).  There are no contracts,
usage minimums, or monthly fees.

You can obtain more information or place an order at 1-888-323-1238.

This is a link to their press release:
http://newscenter.verizon.com/press-releases/verizon/2007/verizons-
prepaid.html

 US Lets in More Immigrants for Farms
    By Nicole Gaouette
    The Los Angeles Times

    Sunday 07 October 2007

    Washington - With a nationwide farmworker shortage threatening to leave unharvested fruits and vegetables rotting in fields, the Bush administration has begun quietly rewriting federal regulations to eliminate barriers that restrict how foreign laborers can legally be brought into the country.

    The effort, urgently underway at the departments of Homeland Security, State and Labor, is meant to rescue farm owners caught in a vise between a complex process to hire legal guest workers and stepped-up enforcement that has reduced the number of illegal planters, pickers and middle managers crossing the border.

    "It is important for the farm sector to have access to labor to stay competitive," said White House spokesman Scott Stanzel. "As the southern border has tightened, some producers have a more difficult time finding a workforce, and that is a factor of what is going on today."

    The push to speedily rewrite the regulations is also the Bush administration's attempt to step into a breach left when Congress did not pass an immigration overhaul in June that might have helped American farms. Almost three-quarters of farmworkers are thought to be illegal immigrants.

    On all sides of the farm industry, the administration's behind-the-scenes initiative to revamp H-2A farmworker visas is fraught with anxiety. Advocates for immigrants fear the changes will come at the expense of worker protections because the administration has received and is reportedly acting on extensive input from farm lobbyists. And farmers in areas such as the San Joaquin Valley, which is experiencing a 20% labor shortfall, worry the administration's changes will not happen soon enough for the 2008 growing season.

    "It's like a ticking time bomb that's going to go off," said Luawanna Hallstrom, chief operating officer of Harry Singh & Sons, a third-generation family farm in Oceanside that grows tomatoes. "I'm looking at my fellow farmers and saying, 'Oh my God, what's going on?' "

    Officials at the three federal agencies are scrutinizing the regulations to see whether they can adjust the farmworker program, an unwieldy system used by less than 2% of American farms to bring in foreign workers. They are considering a series of changes, including lengthening the time workers can stay, expanding the types of work they can do, simplifying how their applications are processed, and redefining terms such as "temporary."

    Administration sources said they were moving aggressively. They declined to discuss details of the proposals.

    The agencies are also working on possible changes to a separate visa program, H-2B, which brings in seasonal workers for resorts, clam-shucking operations and horse stables, among other businesses.

    The administration has pursued the project discreetly. The issue of immigration has generated friction between President Bush and the conservative wing of the Republican Party, which has strongly opposed many of the initiatives that Bush has pursued.

    The changes to the H-2A visa program comprise one of more than two dozen initiatives the administration announced in August. Most of the initiatives dealt with increased enforcement, the most prominent being a measure that would force employers to either fire workers for whom they've received "no match" notification (indicating their W-2 data don't match Social Security Administration records) or face punitive action from the Department of Homeland Security. When Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced the enforcement push, he also acknowledged the problems that agriculture reported.

    "Even putting aside no-match letters, just our increased work at the border was actually causing a drop in the number of workers coming across," Chertoff said.

    David James, an assistant secretary of Labor, said Bush asked his department, which has jurisdiction over most H-2A rules, to review the entire program. The agency "is now in the process of identifying ways the program can be improved to provide farmers with an orderly and timely flow of legal workers while protecting the rights of both U.S. workers and foreign temporary workers," James said.

    The current program, managed by all three agencies, is famously dysfunctional.

    Farmers have to apply for workers about a month in advance, but the agencies often fail to coordinate their response in time for the harvest, which farmers can't always predict. At Hallstrom's farm, where tidy rows of tomato plants run almost to the ocean's edge, half of the 1,000 workers are in the H-2A program. (Nationally, about 60,000 H-2A applications a year are usually filed, compared with more than 3 million farm jobs to be filled. There is no cap on the number of H-2A workers allowed into the U.S.)

    She remembers submitting an emergency request for H-2A workers one year and getting the visas 60 days later. She said the laborers spent two weeks pulling rotten fruit off the vines, and the farm lost $2.5 million. "Devastating," Hallstrom said.

    Growers also complain about paying for workers' housing, transportation, visas and other fees. Harry Yates, a North Carolina Christmas-tree grower, estimates that his labor costs for H-2A workers are $14 an hour, compared with a competitor whose illegal laborers cost about $7.50 an hour. Like other farmers, Yates said using the H-2A program was an invitation to lawsuits from worker advocates and frequent government investigations.

    "I understand why so many growers are afraid to use this program. It is too expensive, too complicated, too slow and too likely to land you in court," Yates said.

    Some advocates for workers fiercely dispute this. They say farmers just want to keep wages low.

    "The employers want to be free of government oversight, legal-services representation for the guest workers, and other efforts to enforce the modest H-2A worker protections," said Bruce Goldstein, executive director of the advocacy group Farmworker Justice, which is affiliated with the nonprofit National Council of La Raza.

    Industry lobbyists have sent the Bush administration a set of detailed suggestions for overhauling the H-2A program through administrative changes, which could take weeks to put in place, and through changes in the regulations, a process that takes months.

    Some of the suggestions under consideration include changing the procedures farmers must use to try to hire U.S. citizens first. Currently farmers have to advertise the jobs, then submit applications to Labor and Homeland Security to bring in foreign workers. Growers would prefer to move to a system in which they pledged that they had done all they could to recruit U.S. workers, but no longer had to submit an application to Labor.

    Other changes under consideration would simplify the detailed H-2A housing requirements, extend the definition of "temporary" beyond 10 months, and expand the definition of "agricultural" workers to include such industries as meatpacking and poultry processing.

FYI, here is the abstract for the article that I sent in my last e-mail.
Thanks,
Tom

American Journal of Preventive Medicine , Volume 33, Issue 5, November 2007, Pages 418-427
Lay Health Advisor Interventions Among Hispanics/Latinos. A Qualitative Systematic Review
Scott D. Rhodes, PhD, MPH, Kristie Long Foley, PhD, MPH, Carlos S. Zometa, PhD, MSPH,
Fred R. Bloom, PhD
Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Background: With an expanding Hispanic/Latino community in the United States, practitioners and researchers working to promote health and prevent disease have relied on lay health advisor (LHA) models to address a variety of health issues. The primary goal of this systematic review was to explore how LHA approaches have been used and evaluated within Hispanic/Latino communities in the U.S.

Methods: Ten literature databases were searched from their inception through July 2006, using keywords associated with LHA approaches. This review consisted of human studies that included adult Hispanics or Latinos of either gender, were conducted in the U.S., were published in English-language peer-reviewed journals, and contained enough abstractable information. Data abstraction was completed independently by three data abstractors using a standardized abstraction form that collected intervention characteristics and study results.

Results: A total of 172 studies were identified and 37 met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 28 included female LHAs exclusively and five included a small number of male as well as female LHAs. Training for LHAs ranged from 6 to 160 hours. Primary roles of LHAs included: supporting participant recruitment and data collection, serving as health advisors and referral sources, distributing materials, being role models, and advocating on behalf of community members. Fourteen studies found evidence of effectiveness.

Conclusions: Given the long history of using LHAs as an approach to health promotion and disease prevention and the current emphasis of LHA approaches as a potential solution to health disparities in general, and among Hispanics/Latinos in particular, few rigorous studies have been published that document the effectiveness of LHAs on a variety of public health concerns. A stronger empirical evidence base is clearly needed.

FYI....

Outreach Worker/Driver

Southern Jersey Family Medical Centers, Inc.
Migrant Outreach Program
(Pemberton, NJ)
__________________________________________________________________
	 Southern Jersey Family Medical Centers, Inc. is a private,
non-profit Migrant and Community Health organization with primary health
care centers in Hammonton, Salem, Pemberton, Burlington City, Atlantic City
and Pleasantville.  We provide low-cost health care services to anyone in a
five-county region regardless of their ability to pay.

	 We conduct an active migrant health outreach program in five
counties of Southern New Jersey.  Outreach workers make regular visits to
farmworkers at the camps where they live, provide health education and
assessments, and work to improve the accessibility of health services by
setting up medical and dental appointments at our centers and providing
transportation.

	 Applicants should be fluent in Spanish. Experience in health
education and farmworker issues is preferred.  Must be willing to work
evenings and occasionally weekends.  Compensation is $10.50 per hour plus
benefits.  You must be at least 26 years old with a good driving record to
drive a SJFMC vehicle.

  RESPONSIBILITIES:
* Make regular visits to farm camps in Burlington and surrounding
counties.
* Identify health problems and concerns of farmworkers in order to
make appropriate referrals to clinics and other community resources.
* Conduct health education sessions with farmworkers.
* Develop and maintain positive relationships with farmworkers,
farmers, clinical staff, and other agencies providing assistance to
farmworkers.
* Document all encounters and activities, and provide weekly progress
reports.
* Provide transport and interpretation as needed.

TO APPLY:  Send resume and cover letter before December 1st to:
		 Cherie Arias, MPH, CHES
		 Health Education & Migrant Outreach Coordinator
		 Southern Jersey Family Medical Centers, Inc.
		 860 S. White Horse Pike
		 Hammonton, NJ  08037
		 (609) 567-0200 x.4133
		 carias@...  (email preferred!)

FYI….
CDC.gov Launches Redesigned Spanish Web Site “CDC en Español”

      CDC en Español www.cdc.gov/spanish

On October 11, 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Spanish-language Web site, CDC en Español, was re-launched with a new look
and new features that will make it more usable and functional. The updated Web
site is another important step in CDC’s longstanding efforts to provide accurate,
up-to-date information in Spanish on health issues of special interest to Hispanic
communities, including information on a wide range of health promotion
and disease prevention topics like asthma, cancer, HIV/AIDS, immunizations,
children’s health, diabetes and occupational hazards.

The CDC en Español Web site address is www.cdc.gov/spanish.

Among the new features on CDC en Español:

• Health and safety information is now grouped in broad, easy-to-browse topic areas.
• Additional new features provide better access to data and statistics,

      recent news, tools and resources, and new publications.

• A new Google-based search engine provides more relevant search results.
• An interactive features area at the top of the home page highlights a number

      of current issues, events and health topics of particular interest to Hispanic audiences
      with relevant photographs or videos. This feature enables CDC en Español to better
      display health recommendations, guidelines and upcoming events.

• A "Top 20" section allows visitors to quickly view a list of the most popular health topics

      and access each directly from the home page.

Take a Virtual Tour of the new CDC en Español site at http://www.cdc.gov/spanish/especialesCDC/tour.html

Send an ecard to share the new CDC en Español with others at  http://www2a.cdc.gov/ecards/spanish/

Subscribe to CDC en Español listserv at  http://www.cdc.gov/spanish/suscribase.html

CDC en Español now receives over 6 million visitors a year and its weekly distribution list has grown to almost 6,000 members in over 40 countries around the world.

Have questions? Need more information? Have ideas/suggestions?
Contact us by e-mail at cdcweb@... or contact Karen Morrione on the CDC.gov Team kmorrione@... .

This announcement has an assigned expiration date. If it remains unopened, it will disappear from your mailbox. You have reached this announcement through your Personal Self-Subscribing Distribution List. To make changes to the types of announcements you wish to receive, please click on the following URL: http://intranet.cdc.gov/maso/cdcAnnouncements/default.htm , enter your User ID and e-mail password (or LAN password if you have no e-mail password) and make changes to the categories of announcements which interest you.

 .

A new Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) on HIV/AIDS was recently published by the CDC. 

HIV/AIDS Among Hispanics --- United States, 2001--2005 is now available.

This service is provided by CDC. Visit us on the web at www.cdc.gov/hiv.

-----Original Message-----
From: Kristie McComb [mailto:kristie@...]
Sent: Friday, October 05, 2007 4:31 PM
To: migrant_health_research@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [migrant_health_research] experiences, successes, & best practices

October 5, 2007

Dear Migrant Health Colleague,

Based on our findings from the 2005-06 National Needs Assessment of
Farmworker-Serving Organizations, Farmworker Health Services, Inc. is
collecting resources and information on the following topics in order
to improve outreach to farmworkers: transportation solutions,
appropriately responding to indigenous farmworkers, and effectively
using or participating in farmworker coalitions. We know that there
are many organizations out there in addition to the ones we have
identified already that have implemented effective solutions and
models. And so would like to learn more and share information such
as successes, best practices and concrete advice.

If you and your organization have experience in addressing any of
these issues at your organization and would be willing to talk with
me in greater detail, I would appreciate it. Please contact me off-
line by Friday, October 12 and I will follow up with you shortly
after. kristie@farmworkerhealth.org

I have posed some questions below to give you an idea of the kinds of
information we would like to discuss with you and share with other
farmworker-serving organizations (with your permission).

Transportation

1. Does your organization provide transportation to your
farmworker patients or some means to ensure that they can get to/from
appointments?
2. What are some of the challenges you have faced in ensuring
transportation for farmworkers? How have you dealt with them?
3. What has worked well in terms of transportation options at
your health center and why?
4. What has NOT worked and why?
5. What advice would you give another health center that would
like to provide or ensure that farmworkers have transportation
options for getting/to from appointments?

Farmworker Coalitions

1. Does your organization participate in or serve as the lead
organization in a farmworker coalition?
2. What have been your coalition's successes to date?
3. What have been the key elements that sustain your coalition's
ability to make positive change in your community?
4. What have been your challenges and how have you addressed
them?
5. What advice do you have for other health centers that would
like to start or get involved in a farmworker coalition?

Serving Indigenous Farmworkers

1. Has your organization seen an increase in the arrival of
indigenous farmworkers to your community?
2. What has your organization done to be responsive to the
unique needs of this subset of the farmworker population?
3. Have these strategies worked and why?
4. What have been some challenges you've faced in trying to
effectively reach out to this population? How has your organization
addressed these challenges and have you been successful?
5. What advice would you have for a health center that would
like to improve its ability to respond appropriately to the needs of
indigenous farmworkers?

Thank you very much for your assistance and I look forward to hearing
from you soon!

Kristie McComb

*************************************
Kristie McComb, MPH
Project Manager
Farmworker Health Services, Inc.
1221 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Suite 5
Washington DC 20005

tel: 202-347-7377
fax: 202-347-6385
www.farmworkerhealth.org

Executive Office:
405 14th Street, Suite #809
Oakland, CA 94612
tel: 510-268-0091
fax: 510-268-0093

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ted Scharf, Ph.D.
Research Psychologist
Work Organization and Stress Research Team
National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health
U.S. Public Health Service
ms/C-24, 4676 Columbia Parkway
Cincinnati, Ohio 45226
513-533-8170, 513-533-8596 (fax)
TScharf@...

N.I.O.S.H. - "Safety and health at work for all people - through  research and prevention."
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/homepage.html
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

October 5, 2007

Dear Migrant Health Colleague,

Based on our findings from the 2005-06 National Needs Assessment of
Farmworker-Serving Organizations, Farmworker Health Services, Inc. is
collecting resources and information on the following topics in order
to improve outreach to farmworkers:  transportation solutions,
appropriately responding to indigenous farmworkers, and effectively
using or participating in farmworker coalitions.  We know that there
are many organizations out there in addition to the ones we have
identified already that have implemented effective solutions and
models.  And so would like to learn more and share information such
as successes, best practices and concrete advice.

If you and your organization have experience in addressing any of
these issues at your organization and would be willing to talk with
me in greater detail, I would appreciate it.  Please contact me off-
line by Friday, October 12 and I will follow up with you shortly
after.  kristie@...

I have posed some questions below to give you an idea of the kinds of
information we would like to discuss with you and share with other
farmworker-serving organizations (with your permission).

Transportation

1. Does your organization provide transportation to your
farmworker patients or some means to ensure that they can get to/from
appointments?
2. What are some of the challenges you have faced in ensuring
transportation for farmworkers?  How have you dealt with them?
3. What has worked well in terms of transportation options at
your health center and why?
4. What has NOT worked and why?
5. What advice would you give another health center that would
like to provide or ensure that farmworkers have transportation
options for getting/to from appointments?

Farmworker Coalitions

1. Does your organization participate in or serve as the lead
organization in a farmworker coalition?
2. What have been your coalition's successes to date?
3. What have been the key elements that sustain your coalition's
ability to make positive change in your community?
4. What have been your challenges and how have you addressed
them?
5. What advice do you have for other health centers that would
like to start or get involved in a farmworker coalition?

Serving Indigenous Farmworkers

1. Has your organization seen an increase in the arrival of
indigenous farmworkers to your community?
2. What has your organization done to be responsive to the
unique needs of this subset of the farmworker population?
3. Have these strategies worked and why?
4. What have been some challenges you've faced in trying to
effectively reach out to this population?  How has your organization
addressed these challenges and have you been successful?
5. What advice would you have for a health center that would
like to improve its ability to respond appropriately to the needs of
indigenous farmworkers?

Thank you very much for your assistance and I look forward to hearing
from you soon!

Kristie McComb

*************************************
Kristie McComb, MPH
Project Manager
Farmworker Health Services, Inc.
1221 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Suite 5
Washington DC 20005

tel:  202-347-7377
fax: 202-347-6385
www.farmworkerhealth.org

Executive Office:
405 14th Street, Suite #809
Oakland, CA 94612
tel:  510-268-0091
fax:  510-268-0093