RE: question to the farmworker research and outreach community

[Guest guest]

Good afternoon members of the migrant health community,

The U.S. Bureau of the Census tells us that a cost-effective

count of migrant and seasonal farmworkers (MSFWs), like all population

groups, begins with an accurate address list and precise maps. The

question is,

Assuming that such an accurate master list of MSFW addresses and

maps were available to count the farmworker population, how would this reduce barriers

to better farmworker research, clinical practice, and outreach?

Thank you for your consideration.

Rene P. Rosenbaum, PhD

Associate Professor, Michigan State University

[Guest guest]

One tool that we use in Immokalee, Fl is the list of registered migrant housing facilities. We target health outreach to these locations. We have licensed beds for about 8,000 individuals in this county and while it isn't all inclusive it is certainly a good start for targeted efforts. We also work from this housing list when distributing emergency notices like hurricane alerts.

Frees

Director, Immokalee Division

Collier County Health Department

From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Rene RosenbaumSent: Monday, May 18, 2009 3:13 PM ; US-Mx-Border-BinationalEnvironmentalHealthConnection ; mhcceo Cc: ryder@...; Wilma Novales WibertSubject: [ ] RE: question to the farmworker research and outreach community

Good afternoon members of the migrant health community,

The U.S. Bureau of the Census tells us that a cost-effective count of migrant and seasonal farmworkers (MSFWs), like all population groups, begins with an accurate address list and precise maps. The question is,

Assuming that such an accurate master list of MSFW addresses and maps were available to count the farmworker population, how would this reduce barriers to better farmworker research, clinical practice, and outreach?

Thank you for your consideration.

Rene P. Rosenbaum, PhD

Associate Professor, Michigan State University

[Guest guest]

It is really necessary to get on the ground and do footwork to map

these locations yourself. There may be licensed farmworker housing

units in your area and the health dept and USDA can help with that;

however, there are often many other places that msfw live, especially

now with immigration raids, etc. A rapid assessment of your area is

absolutely critical to map them and then try to approximate from that.

The rapid assessment should begin with speaking to farms and crew

leaders and involve them as a key informant to help you with the

mapping.

I would not rely solely on USDA or health department lists but they are

a start.

Good luck!

_Frees@... wrote:

One tool that we use in

Immokalee, Fl is the list of registered migrant housing facilities. We

target health outreach to these locations. We have licensed beds for

about 8,000 individuals in this county and while it isn't all inclusive

it is certainly a good start for targeted efforts. We also work from

this housing list when distributing emergency notices like hurricane

alerts.

Frees

Director, Immokalee Division

Collier County Health Department

From:

[mailto: ]

On Behalf Of Rene Rosenbaum

Sent: Monday, May 18, 2009 3:13 PM

;

US-Mx-Border-BinationalEnvironmentalHealthConnection ;

mhcceo

Cc: ryder@...; Wilma Novales Wibert

Subject: [ ] RE: question to the

farmworker research and outreach community

Good afternoon

members of the migrant health community,

The U.S. Bureau of

the Census tells us that a cost-effective count of migrant and seasonal

farmworkers (MSFWs), like all population groups, begins with an

accurate address list and precise maps. The question is,

Assuming that such

an accurate master list of MSFW addresses and maps were available to

count the farmworker population, how would this reduce barriers to

better farmworker research, clinical practice, and outreach?

Thank you for your

consideration.

Rene P. Rosenbaum,

PhD

Associate Professor,

Michigan State University

[Guest guest]

This only works where there is a cojmprehensive state law requiring registration of most farmworker housing units AND an aggressive regulatory agency that sees that such properties are registered. Florida has the nation's most comprehensive migrant housing statute, in that it not only regulates traditional employer-provided housing but also applies to "residential migrant housing," defined as any facility in which five or more migrants reside,. Many private rentals are licensed as residential migrant housing.

Enforcement of the florida housing statutes is done at the county level and the quality of regulation varies substantially from county to county. Frees iworks with the Collier County Health department which unquestionably is the state leader in identifying and registering farmworker housing facilities. Unfortunately, even within Florida, there are a number of counties which make little or no effort to identify properties qialifying as residential migrant hoousing, thereby limiting the useof these data for locating farmworkers.

Greg Schell, Managing Attorney

MIgrant Farmworker Justice Project

Lake Worth, Florida

----- Original Message -----

From: _Frees@...

; US-Mx-Border-BinationalEnvironmentalHealthConnection ; mhcceo

Cc: ryder@... ; novalesw@...

Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2009 10:20 AM

Subject: RE: [ ] RE: question to the farmworker research and outreach community

One tool that we use in Immokalee, Fl is the list of registered migrant housing facilities. We target health outreach to these locations. We have licensed beds for about 8,000 individuals in this county and while it isn't all inclusive it is certainly a good start for targeted efforts. We also work from this housing list when distributing emergency notices like hurricane alerts.

Frees

Director, Immokalee Division

Collier County Health Department

From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Rene RosenbaumSent: Monday, May 18, 2009 3:13 PM ; US-Mx-Border-BinationalEnvironmentalHealthConnection ; mhcceo Cc: ryder@...; Wilma Novales WibertSubject: [ ] RE: question to the farmworker research and outreach community

Good afternoon members of the migrant health community,

The U.S. Bureau of the Census tells us that a cost-effective count of migrant and seasonal farmworkers (MSFWs), like all population groups, begins with an accurate address list and precise maps. The question is,

Assuming that such an accurate master list of MSFW addresses and maps were available to count the farmworker population, how would this reduce barriers to better farmworker research, clinical practice, and outreach?

Thank you for your consideration.

Rene P. Rosenbaum, PhD

Associate Professor, Michigan State University

[Guest guest]

Below is a response from Ilene s, an attorney at California

Rural Legal Assistance and an expert on farmworker housing. She is a member of

the national 2010 Census Advisory Committee.

It is true that an accurate

enumeration of migrant and seasonal farmworkers in the decennial census depends

on an accurate address list and precise maps because the decennial census is

fundamentally a mailout mailback survey and many of its follow up operations

depend on having an accurate address, so by definition if an address is not on

the list the housing unit will not receive a census form and will have a

significantly reduced opportunity to be counted in the census. There are some

census operations for in person enumeration, but they also tend to rely on an

accurate address list or point on a map. The American Community Survey, the

replacement for the long form in 2010, also relies on census address lists. So to

the extent that research relies on census data, a better census will lead to

better research.

From:

[mailto: ] On Behalf Of Rene

Rosenbaum

Sent: Monday, May 18, 2009 3:13 PM

; US-Mx-Border-BinationalEnvironmentalHealthConnection ;

mhcceo

Cc: ryder@...; Wilma Novales Wibert

Subject: [ ] RE: question to the farmworker

research and outreach community

Good afternoon members of the migrant health

community,

The U.S. Bureau of the Census tells us

that a cost-effective count of migrant and seasonal farmworkers (MSFWs),

like all population groups, begins with an accurate address list and

precise maps. The question is,

Assuming that such an accurate master

list of MSFW addresses and maps were available to count the farmworker

population, how would this reduce barriers to better farmworker research,

clinical practice, and outreach?

Thank you for your consideration.

Rene P. Rosenbaum, PhD

Associate Professor, Michigan State

University

[Guest guest]

The United States census is the worst

resource you can use to determine demographic and population statistics on

seasonal and non-seasonal farm workers.

Not only is it inaccurate but contributes

to the misinformation that is out there in research departments. Unfortunately,

this information is taken for granted and interpreted into various forms and

documents.

One example was the census for the Sacramento Valley some years ago that reported 90

farm workers in the area. For those of us familiar with this region found this

number inaccurate, vastly inaccurate. Sorry you guys if you truly want to

get real population statistics and demographics, you need to contact employers,

knock on doors and attend farm worker meetings. There is no easy way

around it.

Mr. Rene Quintana

Founder

Manos Unidos Inc.

From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Virginia Ruiz

Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2009 11:13

AM

Cc: Ilene s

Subject: RE:

[ ] question to the farmworker research and outreach

community

Below is a response from Ilene s, an attorney at California

Rural Legal Assistance and an expert on farmworker housing. She is a member of

the national 2010 Census Advisory Committee.

It is true that an accurate enumeration of migrant and seasonal

farmworkers in the decennial census depends on an accurate address list and

precise maps because the decennial census is fundamentally a mailout mailback

survey and many of its follow up operations depend on having an accurate

address, so by definition if an address is not on the list the housing unit

will not receive a census form and will have a significantly reduced

opportunity to be counted in the census. There are some census operations for

in person enumeration, but they also tend to rely on an accurate address list

or point on a map. The American Community Survey, the replacement for the long

form in 2010, also relies on census address lists. So to the extent that

research relies on census data, a better census will lead to better research.

From:

[mailto: ]

On Behalf Of Rene Rosenbaum

Sent: Monday, May 18, 2009 3:13 PM

;

US-Mx-Border-BinationalEnvironmentalHealthConnection ;

mhcceo

Cc: ryder@...; Wilma Novales

Wibert

Subject: [ ]

RE: question to the farmworker research and outreach community

Good afternoon members of the migrant health community,

The U.S. Bureau of the Census tells us that a cost-effective

count of migrant and seasonal farmworkers (MSFWs), like all population

groups, begins with an accurate address list and precise maps. The

question is,

Assuming that such an accurate master list of MSFW addresses and

maps were available to count the farmworker population, how would this reduce

barriers to better farmworker research, clinical practice, and outreach?

Thank you for your consideration.

Rene P. Rosenbaum, PhD

Associate Professor, Michigan

State University