The University of Nebraska Medical Center is teaming with a
rural Nebraska hospital and a cooperative extension to offer a
new program designed to reduce the high rate of illness and
injury in agriculture. Twelve farmers in the Cuming County area
are being sought to enroll in the program, which will be
administered by UNMC, St. Francis Memorial Hospital in West Point
and the Cuming County Cooperative Extension.
The program consists of three components — health and safety
education, occupational health screening for farmers, and an
on-site farm safety assessment. It is being headed by Susanna Von
Essen, M.D., associate professor in the UNMC Internal Medicine
Department. A pulmonologist, Dr. Von Essen is a native of Pender,
Neb., who grew up on a farm and has always had an interest in
farm health and safety issues. Jerry Jaspersen, a farmer from the
Oakland/West Point area, will serve as coordinator of the
project.
"Agriculture has long been recognized to be a hazardous
profession," Dr. Von Essen said. "We feel there is a
need for new incentives to help convince farmers to take
advantage of existing technology to reduce hazards from working
with machinery as well as health risks from agricultural
exposures."
In 1995, the death rate in agriculture was 24 per 100,000
workers compared to 4 per 100,000 for all occupations.
Agriculture ranks second only to mining in terms of risk for
fatal injury. In addition, a variety of medical illnesses are
disproportionately common among farmers, including respiratory
disease, cancers of the lip and the skin, and hearing loss.
There is also evidence that cancers of the bone marrow and
lymph system are more common in agricultural workers. In some
aspects of agriculture, such as animal confinement, up to 50
percent of workers are affected by work-related respiratory
disorders.
Farmers interested in participating in the program should
contact Pam List, a family nurse practitioner at St. Francis
Memorial Hospital, at (402) 372-5904. Participants will be
enrolled in the program for two years and will receive a $200
stipend.
Participants will be required to maintain an injury log
detailing any farm accidents that occur during the two years, Dr.
Von Essen said. They will be required to have an on-site farm
safety assessment, which will focus on potential problems such as
shields missing from machinery. In addition, they will undergo
periodic health screenings to assess their health. This screening
will include blood pressure and cholesterol tests, lung function
testing, and skin cancer screening.
Dr. Von Essen has contacted two large health insurance
carriers for their input on the project. In the second phase of
the project, it is anticipated that farmers who successfully
complete the farm safety certification program may be eligible
for a reduction in health insurance premiums.
"If the project leads to fewer injury and illness
incidents as well as lower claims to participating insurance
companies participating in Phase 2, then I believe this could
become a self-sustaining entity," Dr. Von Essen said.
"It’s no different than insurance companies offering
reduced premium rates for having dead bolts, fire alarms and fire
extinguishers in your house or for beginning drivers who complete
a driver’s education class. If we can make farmers
healthier, it’s a plus for the insurance companies."
The project is being funded through nearly $200,000 in
combined grant money provided by the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health, Pioneer Hybrid, National Pork
Producers and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. It is being done in
collaboration with the Center for Rural and Environmental Health
at the University of Iowa, Biological Systems Engineering at the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and Iowa State University.
UNMC is the only public academic health science center in the
state. Through its commitment to research, education and patient
care, UNMC has established itself as one of the country’s leading
centers for cancer research and treatment and solid organ
transplantation. Nearly $25 million in research grants and
contracts are awarded to UNMC scientists annually. In addition,
UNMC’s educational programs are responsible for training more
health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other
institution.