Farmworker Justice & Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation
Farmworker Justice
Farmworker Justice (FJ) received a grant of $1,100,000 for a two-year project entitled Unidos Eliminando Barreras para la Prevención de Cáncer de la Piel (United Eliminating Barriers to Skin Cancer Prevention) to promote community integration and reduce impact of skin cancer among farmworkers and their families.
Need
Rates of melanoma have tripled in the United States in the last 30 years. The living and working conditions for farmworkers expose them to prolonged hours of ultraviolet radiation and increased risk in skin cancer. Approximately 2.4 million farmworkers and their 2 million spouses and children live in the U.S. with nearly 20% receiving medical care at federally-qualified migrant and community health centers. The majority of farmworkers are comprised of Latino immigrants often uninsured and have limited English proficiency with inadequate education and awareness of their risks for skin cancer.
Project
Farmworker Justice (FJ) is a national service and advocacy organization that seeks to improve the health and wellbeing and work conditions for over 300 Latino and Latino-serving communities in the U.S FJ will implement a two-site community mobilization and care access demonstration project in San Diego County, CA and Yuma, AZ. FJ will work with migrant and community health centers to raise awareness about skin cancer, increase access to skin care health services, and develop a sustainable program to disseminate activities. Utilizing technological communicative methods such as mobile text messaging, the project will also cross potential cultural and/or language barriers delivering health information and promotion, training and equipping promotores de salud to assist community members to navigate through health resources and access to care. Patients in need of referrals and treatments services will be referred to the NCI Comprehensive Cancer Centers partnering with Farmworker Justice -- University of California San Diego Cancer Center Comprehensive Partnership for further management.
Project Leader
Carlos A. Ugarte, cugarte@farmworkerjustice.org
Partners
- Vista Community Clinic
- Campesinos Sin Fronteras
Collaborators
- Moores UCSD Cancer Center
- National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health