Projects & Publications

Project Clean Environment for Healthy Kids (2)

Start Date: 2002 | Completion Date: 2003

Project Purpose

The project's primary aim is to provide environmental health education to promotores and health professionals in the Border region.

Project Description

Farmworker Justice Fund (FJF) trained Hispanic promotores (40 each year) to educate peers to recognize and reduce environmental health hazards in order to protect their children's health in Somerton, AZ and Weslaco, TX. They conducted a two-day workshop on lead poisoning and pesticide safety and a two-day workshop on reducing the severity and frequency of childhood asthma and reducing the risk of water-borne illness. In addition, FJF provided environmental health training to 30 promotores working with health centers and other programs in the border region. FJF trained National Center for Farmworker Health (NCFH) staff and held a one-day community forum in San Diego County and Tijuana, Mexico. The project published in English and Spanish a promotores training curriculum addressing four major environmental health risks: 1) improving pesticide safety at home and on the job, 2) preventing lead poisoning, 3) reducing the severity and frequency of asthma, and 4) drinking clean water and disposing waste safely. They educated 70 multi-disciplinary health professionals from Su Clínica Familiar, Nuestra Clínica del Valle, and Brownsville CHC. A reference manual in English and Spanish for health professionals is available on the FJF website (http://www.fwjustice.org/healthykids.htm).

Accomplishments

40 promotores per year trained to educate their peers in environmental hazards
30 promotores that work with health centers and programs trained in environmental health
Two-day workshop on lead poisoning and pesticide safety
Two-day workshop on childhood asthma and water-borne illness
Trained NCFWH staff
Held one-day community forum in San Diego, CA, and Tijuana, Baja California

Publications or Presentations

Promotor(a) training curriculum in English and Spanish
Reference manual for health professionals in English and Spanish
Materials available on the FJF website: http://www.fwjustice.org/healthykids.htm

Project Contacts

Shelley Davis, FJF
Virginia Ruiz, FJF
Elizabeth Kapeller, NCFH
Bobbi Ryder, NCFH
Marquita Cullom-Stott, BPHC Project Officer for NCFH
The current contact for HRSA is the Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP), Division of Borrder Health (DBH). Their main number is(301) 433-0835

Participants

EPA, HRSA (including Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC), National Center for Farmworker Health, Farmworker Justice Fund, Campesinas Sin Fronteras of Somerton, AZ, and Texas Rural Legal Aid of Weslaco, TX