Total Worker Health

COVID-19 Response: Co-Developing Culturally Relevant Messages for Farmworkers

The goal of this rapid response project was to co-develop accurate and approachable public service announcements, radio spots, social media messages, and infographics about COVID-19 for agricultural employees. Fifty surveys about trusted information sources were administered in conjunction with the COVID-19 Farmworker Study (COFS), which asked about the impact of the pandemic on work experience, transportation, housing, and healthcare access. It brought in researchers from the UW Department of Communications (Dr. Carmen Gonzalez) and UW Department of Health Services (Dr.

¡Basta! Prevent Sexual Harassment in Agriculture

This project was created in response to concerns voiced by farmworker health and social service providers about the occupational health risks of women agricultural workers, as well as increased media and legal attention regarding sexual harassment in the agricultural workplace. The hidden nature of this issue profoundly impacts women’s ability to work safely in agriculture. The agricultural industry also shares its concern about the lack of culturally appropriate educational resources available to address this problem.

Washington State Dairy Safety Network

The Dairy Safety Network project brings bilingual and bicultural safety materials and training opportunities to Northwest dairy owners and managers.

Through the Network, the online Dairy Safety Toolkit (DST) provides curated training materials and tools to be used for on-site training of dairy workers. Materials are in English and Spanish.

This portal also provides moderated discussion forums where users can share success stories and have questions answered by moderators.

Nitrate Well Water Testing in Agricultural Communities: Improving Environmental Health Communication with Health Behavior Theory

Elevated levels of nitrate in groundwater are a significant public health concern for private well water users, including in the Lower Yakima Valley, which has a large Latino farmworker community. This pilot project developed tailored communication materials on well water testing specifically for this population. Our project was guided by a committee of local stakeholders of the Lower Yakima Valley (LYV) in Washington State, including El Proyecto Bienestar and the Latino Community Fund.

Pilot: Sexual Harassment Prevention

This project was created in response to concerns voiced by farmworker health and social service providers about the occupational health risks of women agricultural workers, as well as increased media and legal attention regarding sexual harassment in the agricultural workplace. The hidden nature of this issue profoundly impacts women’s ability to work safely in agriculture. The agricultural industry also shares its concern about the lack of culturally-appropriate educational resources available to address this problem.