AgriSafe in Action Newsletter
December 2022 Edition
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Welcome Dr. Kirkhorn to the AgriSafe Team |
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AgriSafe is pleased to announce Dr. Steve Kirkhorn as AgriSafe’s first Medical Director. Dr. Kirkhorn is responsible for the strategic direction and technical review of the occupational health curriculum, resources, and services. At AgriSafe, he serves as the medical leader liaison, offering program wide engagement and collaboration, visibility, and opportunity.
In addition to his role at AgriSafe, Dr. Kirkhorn serves as Occupational Medicine Advisor to the NIOSH Upper Midwest Center for Agricultural Safety and Health at the University of Minnesota.
His interests include agricultural and rural occupational and environmental health, curriculum development, as well as birdwatching, biking, and kayaking. He is also a Master Naturalist through the University of Minnesota Extension.
Previously, Dr. Kirkhorn has worked as:
- Medical Director of the National Farm Medicine Center;
- Chair of Occupational Health, and Chair and Regional Service Line Director of Occupational Health, at the Marshfield Center in Wisconsin;
- Director and Section Chief of Occupational Health at the Minneapolis Veterans Administration Health Care System;
- Adjunct Associate Professor in the Division of Environmental Health Sciences in the University of Minnesota School of Public Health; and
- Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine University of Minnesota Medical School.
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Talking TFH® Podcast: Concerns for Older Adults Working in Agriculture
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This month on Talking Total Farmer Health, we hear from Dr. Ali about health and safety concerns for aging agriculture workers. In this episode you’ll learn just how common injuries and fatalities from slips, trips, and falls are, how to prevent them, and why older adults are at increased risk.
If you like our podcast, tell us by using the following hashtag on your socials!: #TTFHpod
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Commitment to Hollistic Nursing |
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Dr. Tara Haskins, AgriSafe’s Total Farmer Health Director, is now a board-certified Advanced Holistic Nurse! The philosophy behind holistic nursing is an integrative model.
This model is a “whole person/whole system approach where human beings are seen as inseparable from their environments” (Dossey & Keegan, 2016). Furthermore, holistic nurses believe that humans have an innate capacity for health and well-being. Health is not defined by absence of disease or medical condition.
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Continuing Nursing Education |
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Gratitude is a word that holds so much meaning...especially as we look back on Thanksgiving and Giving Tuesday, and look forward to the winter holidays and time to spend with friends and family. Our Agrisafe team is grateful for the work and compassionate care our rural nurses provide every day in support of better health for rural communities across the country and across our borders. We are also grateful to the businesses, organizations, and membership groups that support our healthcare providers through educational programs and opportunities to connect.
As we roll into the final weeks of 2022, AgriSafe wants to remind you of the learning opportunity available through our Nurse Scholar program--an ANCC-approved 20-hour online, on-demand continuing education training developed for rural nurses. There is still time to enroll and complete the program by the March 15, 2023 deadline. Check out our scholarship-reduced fee and registration information here. If you represent a membership organization, commodity group, or business, this is a great way to show your gratitude for rural nurses in your community!
Hear from one of our Nurse Scholar program graduates:
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AgriSafe Webinar Opportunities |
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Talking About Ticks - Lyme Disease
December 8, 2022
12 PM - 1 PM CT
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December 14, 2022
12 PM - 1:30 PM CT
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New Initiative Information Session-
Health and Safety for Forestry Workers
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National Influenza Vaccination Week |
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National Influenza Vaccination Week (December 5-9) is a critical opportunity to remind everyone (6 months and older*that there’s still time to protect themselves and their loved ones from flu this season by getting their annual flu vaccine if they haven't yet. Currently, flu activity is elevated across the country, so this week will serve to remind people that there is still time to benefit from the first and most important action in preventing flu illness and potentially serious flu complications: get a flu vaccine today.
Check out the CDC’s NIVW resources, vaccination messages, and activities you can use to share key flu information with your networks available here.
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AgriSafe in Action: MRASH 2022 |
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What does Re-imagining a Safe and Health Future for Agriculture look like for those working in the space of ag health and safety? Taxed with this question, professionals attending the 2022 Midwest Regional Ag Health and Safety listened to diverse and interactive presentations regarding a re-imagined food and agriculture system and the people who work in it. AgriSafe Community Health director Linda Emanuel presented on the mental well-being of the female producer in the fast-paced evolution of agriculture as females skillfully balance the 3rd shift phenomenon.
Representing the Total Farmer Health podcast team, Linda participated in a roundtable discussion regarding Ag Health and Safety in Audio Media. A prevailing question to ask of ourselves is: How does my role shift to move toward a re-imagined system?
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Rural Emergency Preparedness and Response Toolkit |
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The Rural Emergency Preparedness toolkit was developed by RHIhub in collaboration with the NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis.
The toolkit describes unique considerations and issues rural populations face when responding to disasters and public health emergencies but also the strengths and assets they can leverage to support their emergency preparedness efforts. It compiles evidence-based and promising models and resources to support organizations implementing emergency planning, response, and recovery efforts in rural communities across the United States. Also featured in the toolkit is an article featuring AgriSafe staff member Linda Emanuel's personal experience with a bomb cyclone flood in rural Nebraska: Lessons Learned from a Bomb Cyclone Flood in Eastern Nebraska.
Check out the toolkit available here.
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Upcoming Events in Agriculture |
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We know that your calendar fills up quickly, so here is a look at the upcoming agricultural health and safety events for 2023!
Date: February 23 - 24, 2023
Location: Virtual or In-Person (Arlington, Virginia)
Date: March 20 - 23, 2023
Location: Spokane, Washington
Date: June 18 - 21, 2023
Location: Tampa, Florida
Date: October 10 - 12, 2023
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Date: November 1 - 4, 2023
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
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