The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Worker Protection Standard (WPS)protects agricultural workers from the health risks associated with pesticides. The WPS requires agricultural employers to comply with minimum safety precautions when using pesticides on farms and in nurseries, greenhouses or forests. Requirements include: training of workers handling pesticides or working in treated areas, provision of adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), communication of information about work areas recently treated with pesticides and when it is safe to re-enter these areas, and in case of emergency, availability of decontamination facilities and provision of medical assistance. The following guide reflects the WPS provisions currently in effect, which were last updated in 2015.

The New England Journal of Medicine has an article analyzing early cases in China which gives some clarity around how the virus works: “Clinical Characteristics of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in China".

This almost real-time map shows where COVID-19 cases have been reported, all over the world, which provides some perspective and allows for a visual understanding of the spread as it progresses. 

HRSA’s new COVID-19 FAQs give some overview on the health center requirements around emergency preparedness as well as recommendations for communications from health centers.

APHA's Get Ready campaign helps Americans prepare themselves, their families and their communities for all disasters and hazards, including pandemic flu, infectious disease, natural disasters and other emergencies.

Diabetes is a common but complicated health condition facing agricultural workers within the United States. To help assist agricultural workers in learning about this diagnosis, Migrant Clinicians Network has partnered with professional artist and collaborator Salvador Sáenz to create “Mi salud es mi tesoro: Un guía para vivir bien con diabetes,” or, “My Health is My Treasure: A Guide to Living Well with Diabetes.” This low-literacy comic book explores the topic through the full-color story of an agricultural farmworker named Goyo, whose recent diagnosis of diabetes prompts him to engage in conversations with other agricultural workers on topics of diet, exercise, and illness prevention while facing the unique hurdles of living a life of migration. The comic book was originally produced in Spanish, and is now available in English below. Please click "Leer en español" above to access the Spanish-language version. 

In order to print the right number of comic books, we are asking organizations to pre-order in quantities up to 500. The comic book and shipping will be paid for by MCN. In exchange, we simply ask that you, or someone from your organization, complete an evaluation of the comic book several months after you first receive it. Information from the evaluation will help us improve our resources and will give us important insight into how the comic book is being used in the community.

Download a digital copy of the comic book below!

This guide was produced by the MSW@USC, the online Master of Social Work program at the University of Southern California.