# Great Lakes Center for Farmworker Health and Well-being

> **NIH ALLCDC U54** · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO · 2023 · $1,293,304

## Abstract

GLCFHW Overall Center Abstract
Hired migrant and seasonal farmworkers (FWs) experience unique employment conditions that challenge their
ability to live healthy, fulfilled lives. Hazardous work, unstable employment, atypical employment policies, lack
of government oversight and enforcement, extreme poverty, stringent immigration laws, and lack of social
support negatively impact the health and well-being of FWs. Further impediments include lengthy journeys
across dangerous borders, inconsistent immigration policies, transience, non-citizen status, residence in
remote rural settings, and limited access to healthcare and social services. Illinois is a major agricultural state
that hires upward of 50,000 FWs each year to support the US food supply chain. The overall goal of the Great
Lakes Center for Farmworker Health and Well-being (GLCFHW) is to implement strategies and actions leading
to systems change that protects and promotes the health and well-being of farmworkers across the US.
Specific aims are to: 1) conduct high quality research that elucidates pathways for change that benefits FWs;
2) build and strengthen multidirectional collaboration and engagement across eco-social levels to create
networks that support FW health and well-being; 3) translate and disseminate evidence to promote policies
and practices that demonstrate the value and approaches to supporting FW health and well-being within and
outside of work. We have assembled Center Administration, cores in Evaluation and Planning, Outreach, and
Research, and Internal and External Advisory groups and we have garnered the support of stakeholders. We
will conduct three research projects: 1) to translate and test survey tools; 2) to link state-based data systems
and outpatient records for surveillance of illness and injury among FWs; 3) to collect survey data on lived
experience and biospecimens for markers of inflammation and immune response to determine predictors of
health and well-being. We will disseminate research results and translate our findings to action.
Outputs. validated survey tools, surveillance data, methods and findings from research studies, network
analysis, environmental scan, strategic plan, outreach and evaluation protocols, website w/ data visualization.
Outcomes. an established center focused on farmworkers, evidence for interventions, network of researchers
and multilevel collaborators, pathways and mechanisms for dissemination, translation of findings to action
NIOSH Objectives. NORA: Reduce risk of fatal/nonfatal injuries and work-related illnesses to workers and
vulnerable populations in the agriculture sub-sector. Improve reporting and surveillance. Identify and examine
the impact of worker demographics on employer or organizational practices and worker safety, health, and
well-being. Improve the safety, health, and well-being of workers with non-standard work arrangements. Other
alignments: research to practice (r2p), Total Worker Health promotion/protection ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10693986
- **Project number:** 5U54OH012503-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO
- **Principal Investigator:** LINDA S FORST
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** ALLCDC
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $1,293,304
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-09-01 → 2027-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10693986

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10693986, Great Lakes Center for Farmworker Health and Well-being (5U54OH012503-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10693986. Licensed CC0.

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