BACKGROUND Established in 2002, El Proyecto Bienestar is a community-based participatory research project designed to identify and address occupational and environmental issues affecting Hispanic agricultural workers, their families, and their communities. Program Aim 4 of El Proyecto Bienestar is “to cultivate a cadre of new investigators with preliminary training related to the investigation and remediation of occupational and environmental health threats.” To achieve this aim, since 2004 El Proyecto Bienestar has worked in conjunction with the Yakima Valley Farm Workers Clinic’s ConneX Program to provide a University of Washington summer undergraduate course held at Heritage University.
EL PROYECTO BIENESTAR RESEARCH PROJECTS
CONNEX PROGRAM OBJECTIVE Create a competitive pool of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds in the Yakima Valley to enter health professions training.
2004-2006 Community Assessment Identify and prioritize the issues of concern to the farm worker community, and create an action plan to address the prioritized issues.
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON COURSE OBJECTIVE
CHALLENGES IN CONDUCTING COURSE
Help students develop the skills needed to conduct basic public health research in a community setting within the framework of environmental justice.
2008 Testing Nitrate Levels in Well Water Samples Collect and test nitrate contaminants in samples of private/homeowner well water.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Course time constraints in completing: IRB requirements and training for all students HIPAA requirements for data collection at clinics Data entry and data quality assurance/control with a large number of students
2009 – 2010 Radio Novelas
70+ students completed course 1000+ surveys conducted UW credits offered Student research posters & publications:
Evaluate the role of radio dramas to enhance community awareness of, and interest in, health science research and environmental and occupational health education.
Perez, R., Katzfey, M. El Proyecto Bienestar or The Well Being Project. Ethnicity & Disease. 18, no. 2 SUPP/1 (2008).
2011 Nitrate Contaminated Well Water and Children’s Environmental Health
Castro, V., Keifer, M., Hoare, L., Treadwell, R., Campe, J., ConneX. Pilot Study: Lower Yakima Valley Private Well Study and Proximity to Surrounding CAFOs. ConneX Program contact: Marty Lentsch :
[email protected] UW Course contact: Martha Perla:
[email protected]
2011 Course
Assess knowledge and perceptions of nitrate contaminated well water. PNASH
STUDENT COMMENTS “The field of public health is very dynamic and time consuming, but not in a bad way. It requires gaining outside knowledge, working with the community, interpreting data, and sharing results back to the community.” “The most difficult part of the course had to be getting used to the idea that it was summer and I was taking a legit class that actually required I think.”
