La Voz - July 2021 - English

FA R M

L A B O R

I N F O R M AT I O N

B U L L E T I N

Voice of the Fields California

July 2021

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Volume 31, Number 7

BEAT THE HEAT

CHANGES IN CALIFORNIA

Health Insurance Expanded for T Undocumented Californians

T

HE COVID-19 PANDEMIC demonstrated just how vital it is that Californians have access to medical care. And unfortunately, so many Californians—particularly undocumented immigrants—do not have access to doctors and health professionals when they need them.

The coronavirus outbreak highlighted California’s most vulnerable groups, revealing that illness and infection spreads majorly impact older people and undocumented farmworkers. Farmworkers work in large numbers, practice carpooling to and from work and also have higher rates of shared housing, so spreading any illness is much more likely given their daily routines. Also, farmworkers tend to have more health issues as a result of the hard labor they do each day.

In response to the medical crises experienced by these groups, the California Governor Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers recently announced that Medi-Cal is expanding coverage to residents 50 and over, regardless of immigration status. This means that undocumented farmworkers and California residents over 50 will have access to healthcare by Spring 2022. (Note: In order to qualify for MediCal, you have to also have to meet the income eligibility requirements. Medi-Cal is designed for low-income residents.)

In addition to Californians over 50 years old, Medi-Cal was also recently expanded to include children and young adults, regardless of immigration status.

Many suggest that these expansions to medical care are part of a larger process to achieve universal healthcare in California. This may mean that all residents - regardless of immigration status or income - will eventually have full-scope health insurance. The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) just released a study noting that 66 percent of California adults support health care coverage for undocumented residents.

PPIC also spoke about nationwide changes that may contribute to increasing health coverage among immigrants, saying that changes to im-

migration policy and streamlined citizenship pathways may mean that undocumented individuals will be eligible for Medi-Cal or Covered California for health insurance.

It’s important to remember that even if you’re not over 50 or a young adult, you may still have access to limited-scope Medi-Cal healthcare coverage as an undocumented individual so long as you meet the income eligibility requirements.

For more information on who is eligible for Medi-Cal, visit the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page of the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) website: English: www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/eligibility/Pages/Medi-CalFAQs2014b.aspx *To view this page in Spanish, click “Translate” in the upper right-hand corner then click on the “Select Language” drop-down menu and select “Spanish”.

For more information on enrolling a child or young adult in Medi-Cal, visit the DHCS website page on how to fill out the “Single Streamlined Application:” English: www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/eligibility/Pages/SingleStreamApps.aspx *To view this page in Spanish, click “Translate” in the upper right-hand corner then click on the “Select Language” drop-down menu and select “Spanish”.

The Single Streamlined Application is available in both English and Spanish: English: www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/eligibility/Documents/2014_CoveredCA_Applications/ENG-CASingleStreamApp.pdf Spanish: www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/eligibility/Documents/2014_CoveredCA_Applications/SPAN-CASingleStream-030414.pdf

HE WESTERN UNITED STATES, including California, is experiencing unprecedented heat waves, and outdoor temperatures are reaching above 110 degrees in some places. As the weather heats up, the risk of heat-related illness also increases like the risk for dehydration, overheating, and even worse, heat stroke. During one weekend in July alone, the New York Times reported that over 200 outdoor laborers died of heat stroke during Oregon and Washington’s heat wave, including many farmworkers. Agricultural workers have to be especially careful of heat-related illness given that their job is outdoors and consists of hard labor and routine exertion that tires the body quicker.

As a California worker, you have a right to water, rest and shade in the workplace to protect yourself against the heat.

We all know that drinking water is critical to good health, but during high temperatures, we often don’t follow medical recommendations, instead just drinking large amounts of water when we feel really thirsty. According to health experts and the UC Davis Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety, once we feel “thirsty,” our body is already dehydrated. Follow the tips below to hydrate yourself properly on a hot day.

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Wednesday 10am Voice of the Fields California Circulation: 45,000 copies www.LaCooperativa.org Published monthly by: La Cooperativa Campesina de California 1107 9th Street, Suite 420, Sacramento, CA 95814 This product is copyrighted by the institution that created it. Internal use by an organization and/or personal use by an individual for non-commercial purposes is permissible. All other uses require the prior authorization of the copyright owner.

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BEAT THE HEAT

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Drink one cup of water every 15 minutes.

One cup of water is about equal to the size of your fist.

Drink small amounts of water throughout the day, instead of large amounts less frequently.

When you drink lots of water all at once, the body only absorbs what it can before having to go to the bathroom to get rid of the extra water. If you drink small amounts of water before you ever feel thirsty, the body will use that water for sweating more efficiently.

Water is better than any other liquid like sports drinks or energy drinks.

While sports drinks are helpful in replacing electrolytes and minerals that we lose while sweating, they also contain lots of sugar that can contribute to health issues like Type 2 Diabetes, and they should never replace water. Experts suggest that if you want to replace electrolytes and minerals, you can substitute two cups of water per day with 2 cups of something like Gatorade or Powerade, but no more than that.

Energy drinks on the other hand contain chemicals and stimulants that cause high blood pressure, rapid heartbeat and insomnia. They should never be used for hydration purposes.

To learn more about heat illness prevention, visit the following websites: UC Davis Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety English: https://aghealth.ucdavis.edu/training/ heat-illness Spanish: https://aghealth.ucdavis.edu/es/training/heat-illness California Department of Industrial Relations English: www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/heatillnessinfo. html Spanish: www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/Spanish/heatillnessinfo.html

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Heat Illness Prevention

TATE SENATOR Melissa Hurtado (from the city of Sanger) recently wrote a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom asking for the state to include farmworkers in California’s Universal Basic Income pilot program (UBI). The UBI program supports low-income Californians by giving them money to help pay for bills and living expenses.

Right now, the UBI program does not include farmworkers, but this may change soon. Senator Hurtado wrote to the governor asking that farmworkers be included in this program because of the problems the drought has caused for their work.

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RECENT RULING by the Supreme Court overturned a long-standing California law that allowed union organizers to meet with farmworkers at their worksites. In the court case, Cedar Point Nursery v Hassid, the Supreme Court justices voted 6-3 in favor of property owner rights, saying that commercial food growers cannot be forced to allow union organizers onto their property.

This means that farmers no longer have to allow union organizers on their property.

Before this ruling, the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975 allowed for union organizers to meet with farmworkers on grower property for up to three hours a day, 120 days a year.

Under the new decision by the Supreme Court, however, growers will no longer be required to allow union organizers onto their sites at all.

Although this ruling makes it harder for unions to meet with farmworkers, many growers feel that this decision is fair, since the previous law required them to allow union organizers onto their property on a regular basis, whether they wanted them there or not.

For the property owners who already welcome union organizers onto their properties, this new ruling will not change anything. The D’Arrigo Brothers company in Salinas is an example of this, as the company has written contracts with union organizers allowing them to visit their sites and

Heat Exhaustion

Heat Stroke

access their farmworkers. The D’Arrigo Brothers company said in a recent CalMatters report that their arrangement with the United Farm Workers (UFW) has worked well for them in the past, and they plan to continue to allow union organizers to meet with their workers in the future.

As for the growers who do not want unions to access their sites, however, their farm workers will likely find it more difficult to learn about their rights and access resources.

To learn more about your rights as a farmworker, visit the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (Cal/OSHA) list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for answers to common concerns about workers’ rights and resources: English: www.osha.gov/faq#v-nav-infoworkers *To view this page in Spanish, select “Español” in the upper right-hand corner of the webpage.

The Department of Industrial Relations’ “All Workers in California Have Rights” outlines your rights as a worker in this state, including your right to rest and meal breaks, taking action without being punished and having a healthy and safe job environment: English: www.dir.ca.gov/letf/english_worker_mobile.pdf Spanish: www.dir.ca.gov/letf/spanish_worker_mobile.pdf

In Case of Emergency

Heat exhaustion can quickly develop into heat stroke, which can lead to organ failure, coma, or even death.

Drink enough water.

Call 9-1-1 and notify the supervisor.

y Thirsty = dehydrated

Move the person to the shade.

Fast heartbeat

Little/no sweating

Lower their body temperature:

Sweaty skin

Red, hot, dry skin

y Respectfully help remove outer clothing layers.

Headache

Fast heartbeat

Weakness

Convulsions

Dizziness Cramps

Confusion Fainting

Seek medical attention if you experience these symptoms.

Reduce Your Risk

Remember: WATER, SHADE, REST.

High body temperature

Nausea/vomiting

aghealth.ucdavis.edu/training

Senator Hurtado said that the money from this program could help farmworkers pay for food to feed themselves and their families, as the drought cuts the number of hours they can work and raises the cost of groceries at the supermarket.

Senator Hurtado’s letter has also been signed by six other legislators, who hope that this will change who is allowed to get money from the UBI pilot program. If the governor expands the list of UBI beneficiaries to include farmworkers, it is currently not certain whether or not this would also include undocumented farmworkers.

y Monitor pee color and smell y Limit alcohol intake Wear loose-fitting, light-colored clothing to work.

y Fan them gently.

Take a cool shower.

y Sponge or spray with cool water.

Sleep in a cool room.

If the person is conscious and not vomiting, provide small amounts of water.

NEVER leave the person alone.