News

NY Center for Agricultural Medicine & Health Awarded $48K Grant from PERC for Innovative Agricultural Community-Based Project - August 12, 2024

The New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health (NYCAMH) is thrilled to announce that it was awarded a $48,303 two-year grant from the Pesticide Educational Resources Collaborative (PERC). This grant will fund the project titled: Protección contra pesticidas: Development and Delivery of an Educational Fotonovela and Training Materials for New York's Spanish-Speaking Agricultural Pesticide Applicators and Handlers. The program will develop, distribute, and evaluate educational materials to enhance respiratory fit-testing and training of Spanish-speaking pesticide applicators and handlers in New York State.

A program of Bassett Healthcare Network, NYCAMH's mission is to enhance agricultural and rural health by preventing and treating occupational injury. The mission is carried out through the provision of research, outreach, education, and clinical consultation services by a professional interdisciplinary staff that includes epidemiologists, biostatisticians, social workers, information specialists, occupational health nurses, educators, physicians, bilingual safety specialists, and support staff. NYCAMH is also designated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health as the Northeast Center for Occupational Health Safety (NEC), one of 11 centers across the country that perform health and safety research, education, outreach, and clinical services in the high-risk areas of farming, commercial fishing, and logging. The NEC serves a 12-state region from Maine to West Virginia.

Dr. Julie Sorensen, NYCAMH's Director said, "So much has been accomplished over the past few decades and many improvements have been made on NY farms, thanks to the safety training, safety cost-share programs and research dedicated to addressing hazards on farms. We hope to continue to collaborate with farmers and policymakers to find new and innovative ways to ensure worker health and safety and support the sustainability of the agricultural labor workforce. The funding from PERC will help us advance this mission."

"Supporting NYCAMH is an incredible opportunity," said Emily Ripken, Project Coordinator for Agricultural Community-Based Projects at the University of California Davis. "The vital work NYCAMH is doing to support and protect agricultural workers, especially through initiatives like Protección contra pesticidas, aligns perfectly with PERC's objective of enhancing the capabilities of partners and stakeholders to develop and implement programs/activities that prevent and reduce pesticide risks to humans, communities, and ecosystems. We are excited to collaborate on this important project to enhance the safety and well-being of New York's Spanish-speaking pesticide applicators."

The AgCBP initiative highlights PERC's commitment to promoting the health and safety of farmworkers, pesticide handlers, and their communities. Through the AgCBP program, PERC supports innovative projects that tackle pressing challenges and contribute to a safer agricultural environment. For more information on the AgCBP program, visit https://www.pesticideresources.org/agricultural-community-based-projects/.

 

About

PERC is the Pesticide Educational Resources Collaborative, a 5-year cooperative agreement between the EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs and University of California Davis Division of Continuing and Professional Education, in collaboration with Oregon State University.

NYCAMH, a program of Bassett Healthcare Network, is enhancing agricultural and rural health by preventing and treating occupational injury.