Environmental Health

There’s lots to learn from this week’s list of health justice news and notes, recommended by MCN staff. Have you ever heard of carbon nanotubes? Can you guess the most commonly held job by immigrants in Maine? Read on to find out.

1. Karen, CEO, saw that HRSA announced $169 million in new health center funding.

Today is National Farmworker Health Day, sponsored by the National Association of Community Health Centers. And, while we celebrate the 50-year-long and thriving partnership between health centers and farmworkers, we still have a long way to go. 

A study in Pediatrics showed that 80% of children with organophosphate poisoning were transferred from the emergency department with the wrong diagnosis. While acute pesticide poisoning may not be very common, clinicians need a high index of suspicion to ensure that cases are not missed. MCN worked to raise the index of suspicion among clinicians in Immokalee, Florida last week.

The offices of Migrant Clinicians Network are spread out over several states, the main one being in Austin, TX, and the other very small “satellite” offices on both West and East Coasts. Each of our Five on Friday posts documents the news and notes that we share with each other, which keep us closely engaged despite thousands of miles between us. Today’s offerings come from Texas, Maryland, and Washington State. 

The Washington State Supreme Court last week determined that farmworkers who are paid piece rate wages deserve paid rest breaks. The unanimous decision in the case, Demetrio et al. v. Sakuma Brothers Farms, will affect farmworkers across the state -- including the west Washington State berry pickers who brought the case against their employers Sakuma Brothers -- who are paid based on the weight of the produce they have harvested, not based on an hourly wage.

Our work is focused on migrants in the US, but that work necessarily encompasses borders that are thousands of miles away. This week’s Five on Friday takes us around the world and into our own backyard to explore the cultures and policies that shape the day-to-day life of migrants.

Proud to be in America? Yes! Last week, in a statement regarding the Supreme Court decision requiring states to recognize same-sex marriage, President Obama said, “Today should give us hope that, on the many issues on which we grapple, many painfully, real change is possible. Shifts in hearts and minds [are] possible.” Change for the better is a real possibility, here in the United States -- even if sometimes it feels far off. This is true for many of the issues that we hold dear to our hearts.

Let’s celebrate! Three out of five of our Five on Friday selections are clear wins for migrants workers and immigrants in the US, leading to greater workplace protections and better access to health care for many people in this country.