The Great Lakes Center for Farmworker Health and Wellbeing 2023-2024 Annual report

The GLCFHW has released its 2024 annual report highlighting the activities and progress of its second year. Highlights are summarized below.

Major accomplishments:

• Expanding the Center’s External Advisory Board, budget, and online presence
• Building stronger collaborations between the Center’s core teams
• Connecting with over 450 farmworkers across 13 towns
• Strengthening partnerships with farmworker-serving organizations
• Presenting and publishing research findings

Key lessons from outreach work:

• The need for more visual rather than text-based training materials for farmworkers
• The importance of creating confidential spaces where farmworkers can share their experiences
• The insights that can be gained from field observations to better understand farmworkers’ lived realities

Next steps for the coming year:

• Deploying a tested survey tool measuring farmworker health and wellbeing
• Developing processes to detect, count, and prevent occupational pesticide illnesses in Illinois
• Deepening our understanding of farmworkers and labor supervisors’ perspectives on workplace heat safety clothing
• Producing more accurate recommendations regarding the kinds of drinks to use for fluid replacement to prevent heat-related illnesses
• Exploring the structure and importance of social networks within the farmworker community