![]() ![]() By July 2, four Idaho cities in different parts of the state had mandated masks in public. After a spike in cases in June, Central District Health moved Ada County back to Stage 3. Idaho’s cases spiked by 172% and reached a one-day high of 243 cases Wednesday. “In that environment it’s important to engage with community-engaged groups that already have connections to the community.” Idaho’s spike not done yet “By being already marginalized, this creates the erosion of public trust in government and leaves us with relatively few levers to engage the community,” Lopez-Cevallos said. The gap can be mended by an investment in cultural competency and working with organizations that are trusted by these communities. About 10% of Idaho’s health care and social assistance sector - more than 10,000 employees - are Latino, according to 2019 data from the Idaho Department of Labor.ĭisenfranchisement makes it difficult to bring communities of color to the table and compounds distrust that extends to institutions like schools and hospitals, Lopez-Cevallos said. While Latinos have made national headlines for their vulnerability to coronavirus because of jobs in agriculture and food processing plants - often without sufficient protection - a significant percentage of Latinos also work in Idaho’s health care system. Especially if you are undocumented, they don’t have sick leave or the same protection other workers have.” Health care workers on the front lines ![]() Most of it is reactive instead of proactive. ![]() “One thing we need for everyone is emergency plans. It is difficult for them to stop working,” de Haro-Marti said. It also means their ability to seek care is hampered due to complexities in obtaining insurance and the lack of affordability as many of them live paycheck to paycheck. Immigration status complicates the issue as much of Idaho’s agriculture workers are undocumented, exacerbating fears of deportation as coronavirus cases must be reported to public health districts. Just this week, two more outbreaks at food processing plants were reported in the Magic Valley region at McCain Foods in Burley and Magic Valley Growers in Gooding County. Department of Labor did not specify where the complaint came from. Prior to the Ida-Beef outbreak, an OSHA complaint was made about the plant for coronavirus-related concerns, though plant managers and the U.S. More than half of employees tested positive at the Ida-Beef meat-processing facility in Burley, and at least 70 employees tested positive at Rite Stuff Foods in Jerome, which makes specialty potato products. Outbreaks plagued food-processing facilities nationwide, including several in Idaho. “Certainly because of the context of an anti-immigrant and, by extension, an anti-Latino, environment, it makes it harder for the community to access needed services.” Agricultural workers affected by COVID-19 so if they are being overexposed, do they have a trusted usual source of care? Do they have health insurance or not? Are they able to access health care services in a timely manner?” said Daniel Lopez-Cevallos, associate director of research at the Center for Latina/o Studies and Engagement at the University of Oregon. “In the area where we are at, we’ve seen some of the outbreaks in (processing) plants.
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