BE THE HERO: EDUCATION BUILDING RESOURCES TO REDUCE THE TRANSMISSION OF SARS-COV-2 AMONG MIGRANT AND SEASONAL FARMWORKERS, FOOD SERVICE PROVIDERS, AND THEIR COMMUNITIES

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: The burden of SARS-CoV-2 disproportionately affects marginalized populations, such as limited-resource families who do not speak English, individuals engaged in migrant and seasonal farm work (MSFW), individuals living in poverty, and individuals who reside in impoverished communities along the U.S.-Mexico border and throughout the U.S. They experience unacceptably high rates of poverty and financial stress, chronic health conditions, food and housing insecurity, and low health literacy. The goal of Sé el Héroe (Be the Hero) is to address the challenges and opportunities faced by promotores/community health workers (P/CHWs), MSFWs, and small food service providers (FSPs) in mitigating infection and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through much-needed experience-based education and skill building, innovative outreach methods, and multi-platform approach to empower P/CHWs to work with MSFWs and FSPs. Our objectives will be to: 1) Develop, deliver, evaluate, and disseminate broadly a curriculum, P/CHW: Sé el Héroe (Be the Hero), along with tool kits and other resources in response to unique circumstances, cultural traditions, family practices, and other socio-cultural factors to increase knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, skills, and behaviors of P/CHWs to enable them to offer culturally and situationally appropriate behavior-focused education to mitigate infection and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 among MSFW and FSP; and 2) Develop, deliver, evaluate, and disseminate to MSFW and mobile and home-based food providers (MHFP) Sé el Héroe curriculum, tool kits, and resources to educate and train Hidalgo County, TX MSFW and MHFV in preventing spread of SARS-CoV-2 and in mitigating infection and transmission of SARS-CoV-2. The proposed project has the potential to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2 through mitigation to prevent infection and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 among P/CHW, MSFW, FSP, and MHFP, especially along the Texas border with Mexico, and ultimately in Hispanic communities throughout the U.S. Additional long-range improvements include training of more geographically diverse P/CHWs, and change in the way P/CHW educate and support MSFW, FSP, and MHFP.