MAY 2020
COVID-19 has shown a light on the subject of public health and its important role it serves for everyone. The School of Public Health offered a webinar titled No Longer Invisible: Public health during the COVID 19 pandemic to highlight the work of public health during this time. Dr. Jeff Bender, UMASH center director was one of 4 panelists and focused his comments on public health relative to agriculture and COVID-19. He explained the mission of UMASH which is dedicated to farmers, farm families and workers to protect injuries, illnesses and most recently – infectious disease.
Dr. Bender highlighted the immigrant worker, common in agriculture and the importance of maintaining a healthy workforce. He also reviewed the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on economics, the additional stress, and the need for rural communities of support in America. As a veterinarian, he is able to help livestock farmers protect their animals, understand the virus and separate fact from fiction.
Dr. Bender has been involved on a national level contributing to guidance documents for workers, farmers and processing plants. These materials are available on the UMASH COVID-19 Resource Page in addition to other trusted resources from many of our partners. Visit our website often as we continue to update to provide the most current information.