Hidden Threat: California COVID-19 Surges and Worker Distress
By Edward Orozco Flores and Ana Padilla
Low‐wage work is associated with the spread of COVID‐19, and to mitigate COVID‐19 spread it is not enough to simply regulate business openings and public gatherings — policymakers must also innovate health and safety reforms focused on the workplace and provide a greater safety net for workers.
Access to Health Care and Health Insurance in California
By Thelma Hurd and Nimrat Sandhu
Healthcare utilization is the “quantification or description of the use of services by persons for the purpose of preventing and curing health problems, promoting maintenance of health and wellbeing, or obtaining information about one’s health status and prognosis”1 . It can be estimated in a variety of ways some of which include examining the number of primary care provider visits, the number of inpatient admissions, use of emergency or ambulatory care services.
Agricultural Worker Health and Health Disparities
By Rosa Manzo and Nimrat Sandhu
Agricultural workers in the United States represent a very vulnerable community. They are exposed to several adverse occupational conditions which pose both an immediate as well as a long-term threat to their physical and mental well-being1 . They are forced to work in the fields under extremely high temperatures which greatly enhances their risk for developing heat related illnesses such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke. They are also subjected to repeated exposures to dangerous pesticides which may lead to short term consequences such as acute pesticide poisoning or long-term consequences such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Agricultural Worker Policy Review
By Joel Diringer and Nimrat Sandhu
The policies affecting the health of agricultural workers are reflect the interplay of race, immigration status, poverty and harsh working conditions. Agricultural “exceptionalism” has lessened labor protections for agricultural workers who labor in a dangerous occupation, while the immigrant status of the largely Latino workforce has marginalized agricultural workers into lowpaying jobs and communities.
Environmental Influences on Agricultural Worker Health
By Sandie Ha and Ricardo Cisneros
Pesticides are used extensively in farm working communities to control harmful pests and prevent crop yield loss. Each year, an estimated one billion pounds of pesticides are applied to U.S. farms, forests, lawns and golf courses. More than 17,000 pesticide products are currently on the market. Adults and children from farm-working communities have significantly higher risk for exposure to harmful pesticides compared to their non-farming counterparts.
Overview of Methodology Used in Previous Studies
By Nimrat Sandhu
A variety of surveys have been conducted in the past to evaluate agricultural worker health. Among the most prominent are: National Agricultural Workers Survey (NAWS), The California Agricultural Workers Health Survey, Farm Labor Survey, Sonoma County Farm worker Health Survey, MICASA Survey, and The Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMCOS) Survey.
Review of Literature
By Joel Diringer and Nimrat Sandhu