To educate North Carolina farmworkers about vaccination, and especially COVID-19 vaccination, NC State Extension is offering a new program called Get Informed and Decide or, in Spanish, Me Informo y Decido.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The program is part of Cooperative Extension efforts nationwide to deliver education that advances adult immunization in rural communities, and new federal funding is helping enhance the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In creating Me Informo y Decido, the NC State Extension Farmworker Health and Safety Program team drew from its experience in educating farmworkers about preventing the spread of COVID-19 and in distributing personal protective equipment, or PPE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cintia Aguilar, Latino programs manager with NC State Extension, led the team in developing a new educational tool that includes COVID-19 prevention and vaccine education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUsing existing capacity, we developed Me Informo y Decido with the objective of facilitating a space for reflection, dialogue and education about COVID-19 prevention and vaccination for agricultural workers,\u201d Aguilar said. \u201cThe project is designed to help agricultural workers make decisions based on reliable and trustworthy information.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Three program educators \u2013 Roberto Rosales, Javier Rivera and Olivia Antonio-Ventura \u2013 have trained about 600 farmworkers. They also delivered three train-the-trainer events to 28 agencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Extension’s COVID-19 training is usually delivered along with Extension\u2019s standard training on other health issues: pesticide safety, heat stress and green tobacco illness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The effort focuses on eight North Carolina counties in Eastern North Carolina: Wilson, Nash, Edgecombe, Johnston, Wayne, Sampson, Duplin and Bladen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis program provides farmworkers with the information they need to protect their own health,\u201d said Susan Jakes, NC State Extension\u2019s associate state program leader for community and rural development. \u201cThese workers are essential partners in producing the crops and livestock that help feed people in North Carolina and beyond, and so farmworker health is vital.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Me Informo y Decido is an example of the early contributions that the national Cooperative Extension System <\/a>has implemented to provide vaccine education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n