The Hidden Lives of Non-Migrant Migrant Workers
Eric Macaluso
SUNY Geneseo
Abstract
Research has shown that Spanish-speaking communities in Western New York, specifically dairy workers, and Puerto Rican workers, suffer from health disparities when compared to other US residents. Using a Community-based participatory research (CBPR) design, I collaborated with local organizations and interviewed migrant workers, volunteers, and healthcare workers to learn about the health of this population in the Livingston County area. I then compared the lives and health of dairy migrant workers to those who perform more transient work on fruit and vegetable farms as described by Seth M. Holmes, PhD, MD, in his book, Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies: Migrant Farmworkers in the United States. My findings show that there are health differences between transient workers and those who performed year-round dairy work and that health disparities are occurring within the local community.
