Waiting in line for blood pressure screening during the
4th Annual Binational Health Week. |
To protect the safety and health of Hispanic employees
and others, the OSHA Region V Chicago North, Illinois Area Office participated
in the Illinois 4th Annual Binational Health Week, which was held from October
4–15, 2008. Sponsored by the General Consulate of México, Binational Health Week
was expanded in 2008 from 7 to 11 days. More than 3,000 people attended the
Fairs, which was a greater number than for previous years. “Hispanic Health
fairs such as the ones we held in October 2008 help OSHA get the word out to the
Latino working population in the Chicago Area and help ‘put a human face’ on the
Agency,” says Gary J. Anderson, Area Office Director of the OSHA Region V,
Calumet City Area Office and Chairman of the Region V Hispanic Outreach
Committee. The Calumet City Area Office participated in the planning of the
Fairs.
The Week consisted of Fairs that were held in the Chicago area to promote health
education in the Latino community by offering free medical examinations,
information on disease prevention and access to medical services. Fairs were
held every day during the 11 days. Each Fair offered a variety of health
screenings (e.g., for diabetes, blood pressure, asthma and cholesterol),
examinations (e.g., dental check-ups) and educational seminars (e.g., about
diet, exercise, healthy food choices). The Fairs held on the weekend were
scheduled at larger locations; had a greater number of doctors, medical and
dental screenings, and information booths; and offered free food, music and
Brazilian and Ecuadorian folk dancing. Some locations offered masses; one fair
offered dental examinations for children, and another offered vaccinations.
OSHA had exhibit booths at five of the Fairs. Spanish-speaking representatives
from the Chicago North Area Offices (Leticia Colmenares, Industrial Hygienist,
and Luis Garcia and Diana Cabrera, Safety and Health Assistants) participated in
the Little Village Health Fair on October 4, 2008 where they staffed the OSHA
booth, answered questions, and distributed copies of the Agency’s
Spanish/English safety and health outreach materials on trenching/excavation,
fall protection, personal protective equipment, hazard communication,
landscaping, restaurant and employee rights. Representatives from the OSHA
Region V, Aurora, Illinois Area Office helped to staff one of the exhibit
booths.
In addition to their involvement in the Fairs, representatives from the Calumet
City and Chicago North Area Offices delivered the “All About OSHA” training to
200 employees of the Mexican Consulate on September 2-4, 2008 and to 25
employees of the Guatemalan Consulate on October 9, 2008.
The Consulate offices from Central and South America that participated in the
Fairs included México, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, and Uruguay. In addition to the OSHA Region V Chicago
North Area Office, which has supported the event for each of its 4 years, the U.
S. Department of Labor was represented at the Fairs by the Wage and Hour
Division. The state of Illinois was represented by its Departments of Public
Health, Children’s and Family Services, and Labor. Other organizations that
participated included Life Source, Chicagoland’s Blood Center; S.O.S. (Signs of
Suicide), the Suicide Prevention Program; and Alcoholics Anonymous.
For more information about this event, contact
Leticia Colmenares.
As of March 2009.
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