Grant Number:	5R01CA086468-03 Interpret this number
Primary Investigator:	May, John
Organization:	Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital
Project Title:	Multi-State Migrant Farmworker Surveillance Study
Fiscal Year:	2001

The Multi-state Migrant Farmworker Surveillance Study will study a new occupational Injury and illness surveillance system developed by the Northeast Center and successfully piloted in two states. The new surveillance system uses the existing network of federally funded migrant health centers to track medical visits for work related health problems and collect anonymous medical chart data. Occupational injury and illness rates obtained from the new surveillance system will be compared to those based on data on the same population from Worker's Compensation claims. In addition, the collected data will be used to: identify leading occupational injury and illness types by region and work type, assess the importance of pesticides as a threat to farmworker occupational safety in the Northeast; and determine the consistency of occupational injury and illness patterns for leading commodities throughout the region. This research has two broad objectives: to increase the understanding of farmworker occupational injury and illness in the Northeast, and to improve researchers' ability to collect migrant and seasonal farmworker injury and illness data throughout the country.