Vaccines Continued from Page 1
phone number and email address; and numberofemployeesneedingvaccination. On May 14, FELS will offer a free, Spani sh- language webinar about COVID-19andvaccines, intendedfor farm employees. For information, seewww.fels. net andchoose the link forFELSWebinars. At the Martinez farm last Saturday, about 44peoplereceivedsecondshots, out of 48whoreceivedthe firstdoseweeksear- lier, saidKimberlyNoble, aSolanoCounty public health nurse assisting at the clinic. She said she had worked at four such on- farmclinics to date. “It feels so fulfilling tome, because I feel like we’re able to reach out to one of the hardest-hit populations and harder-to- reach populations,” she said. Nobleaddedsheseesbenefit inbringing vaccineclinics to farmemployees,making the process “more comfortable for them.” Martinezmade the samepoint, empha- sizing the continuing need to reach out to farmemployees. “They’remuchmorecomfortableinasitu- ationthattheyknow, likebeingonourranch, andnot having to commute somewhere to get theshotsandwait inline,”hesaid. (Kevin Hecteman i s an ass i stant editor of Ag Alert. He can be contacted at khecteman@cfbf.com.)
worryabout thechanceof gettingCOVID.” Farmers interested inhosting their own clinics should talk to their county Farm Bureau, agricultural commissioner’s of- ficeandpublichealthdepartment, hesaid. Martinez’s clinic represented part of a continuing effort to bring the vaccine to agricultural employees statewide. NormGroot, executive director of the Monterey County FarmBureau, estimat- ed55%of farmemployees inhis areahave received at least one dose so far. “We have held numerous ag-focused clinics in the past six weeks, but now are transitioning tomorepublicandopenclin- icsforall residents,perstatechanges,”Groot said. “Ag employers submitted lists of em- ployees that were entered for these clinics as a group, thereby ensuring that complete crewswere vaccinatedat the same time.” In San Luis Obispo County, some 2,200 farm employees have been vaccinated through a “Farmworker Friday” project, saidBrentBurchett,managerof theSanLuis ObispoCountyFarmBureau.The last such event took place in early April, Burchett said, noting that demandhaswaned. “Our role has transitioned fromlogistics support tonowbeing vaccine champions,” hesaid.“We’regivingourmembersthelatest healthandsafetyresourcessotheycanmake an informeddecisionabout thevaccine.” Merced County Farm Bureau manag- er Breanne Ramos said the county Farm
At a Solano County farm last weekend, 44 people received second doses of vaccine to pre- vent COVID-19.
Bureauhas helped connect people to em- ployer-led clinics and local health clinics. The Merced County FarmBureau now is surveying its members to assess vaccina- tionneeds. At Trinchero Family Estates in Napa, Vice President of Human Resources Tom O’Brienhasworkedonvaccineeducation, includingmailings andavideoconference webinar with a University of California doctor to get vaccine information to vine- yard andwinery employees. “It’s all reallygeared towardgettingpeo- ple comfortable and getting over the hes- itancy of actually receiving the vaccine,” O’Brien said, adding that these initiatives have so far led to 70%of his workforce be- ing fully vaccinated. He said he aims for a 100% vaccina- tion rate, listing the biggest obstacle as convenience. “If youmake things convenient for folks,
I think you can get a big chunk of folks,” O’Briensaid, summinguphisobjectivesas to “minimize the concerns andmaximize the opportunities.” Having the FarmBureau’s support has been a huge help, he added. “All the folks that I’ve spokenwith there havebeensuper helpful, definitely in tune with what’s going on in the community,” O’Brien said. The Farm Employers Labor Service, a California FarmBureau affiliate, can help agricultural employers seeking vaccina- tions for their employees secure appoint- ments through Blue Shield of California, which was hired by the state to adminis- ter the vaccination program. Blue Shield will arrange vaccinations for employees through local clinics. FarmBureaumem- bers may email fels@fels.net with the fol- lowing information: company or employ- er name; street address; contact person’s
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May 5, 2021 Ag Alert 17
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