Thursday, November 17, 2011

On 1st National Rural Health Day, Illinois paper notes clinic in national program to help farmers

Today is the first National Rural Health Day, started "to increase awareness of and showcase the efforts of rural health care providers," writes Steve Eighinger of the Quincy Herald-Whig in Illinois, who interviewed several health-care providers in his Illinois town.

A clinic operated by Blessing Health System of Quincy, the East Adams Clinic in Golden, was the first in the state to join the AgriSafe program, "where staff members are trained to recognize symptoms that are farm-related and are capable of recommending personal protective equipment and education to improve health symptoms," Eighinger reports. (Map shows Agri-Safe locations; click on map for larger version or here for interactive version)

Rick Ruggles of the Omaha World-Herald used the observance as a news peg for a story about farm safety: "Agriculture is one of the most dangerous occupations," he wrote. "Injuries can stem from time pressures and the fact that farmers work in all kinds of weather. They climb onto roofs and they work with electricity. Their injuries may become more serious because farmers often work alone and may not be rescued for hours" (Read more)

1 comment:

Tim said...

They should help the farmers 20 years ago.