DATE:
June 2021
SUBJECT:
Temporary Foreign Workers COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy
BACKGROUND
The agri-food sector in Windsor and Essex County has been impacted greatly by the COVID-19 pandemic. The congregate living arrangements that exist for many Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs), similar to other congregate settings, create challenges for adhering to public health recommendations such as physical distancing and increase the risk for spread of COVID-19. There are estimated to be between 8,000 -10,000 TFWs working and living in Windsor-Essex, majority in the Leamington and Kingsville area. There are approximately 255 farms operating in Windsor and Essex County with well over 1500 accommodations that are inspected annually by the health unit. In 2020, there were nearly 50 COVID-19 outbreaks in agriculture settings.
In April 2021, the Ministry of Health released their Phase 2 guidance document for the prioritization of COVID-19 vaccination. Within the phase 2 guidance document, high risk congregate living settings were identified as a priority for vaccination including employer-provided living accommodations for temporary foreign agricultural workers.
Current Initiatives
Between April 18 and May 6th, 2021, vaccine appointments were reserved for TFWs at the Nature Fresh Recreation Centre vaccination clinic in Leamington. During the 13 days of targeted clinics, 4,768 workers were scheduled for their first dose vaccination across 132 area farms. As well the WECHU hosted two pop-up clinics the evening of May 20th and 21st in downtown Leamington providing additional opportunities to both documented and undocumented workers to be vaccinated. To date over 5200 temporary foreign workers in the region have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. To achieve this the WECHU worked closely with partners at the Municipality of Leamington and partners of the Workplace Wellness for Agri-Food Workers Task Force to develop a comprehensive outreach and communication plan.
Health Promotion Resources and outreach:
In order to promote COVID-19 vaccination, educate workplaces and workers and register temporary foreign workers for vaccination multiple health promotion strategies were used. The WECHU sent out an information memo to all farms via MailChimp that included vaccination information for employees and a link to a dedicated vaccine information page for temporary foreign workers (https://www.wechu.org/cv/covid-19-vaccine-information-temporary-foreign-workers). The website includes resources for workers developed by partnering organizations, Health Canada, the Ministry of Health and the WECHU and covers common vaccine concerns, myths and facts, accessibility, after care and frequently asked questions. Resources are available in multiple languages for viewing both in print and video. Resources were shared through the HUB Connect App, WhatsApp Groups, and social media. Health education videos in multiple languages were also shared and displayed at the vaccination site through TV monitors on site.
For mobile clinics the WECHU worked with key partners from the Workplace Wellness for Agri-Food Workers Task Force to identify outreach strategies, locations and timing of mobile clinics. Mobile clinics were supported on site with WECHU staff, staff from Essex-Windsor EMS and Erie Shores Health Care and staff and volunteers from the Migrant Worker Community Program.
Registration and Clinic logistics:
The WECHU created a dedicated pre-registration pathway for all farms with temporary foreign workers as well as a dedicated email for questions and inquiries. Farm operators were asked to identify the number of workers that were interested in receiving their vaccination, as well as provide information on mode of transportation to the site, cohorts and languages spoken by workers. The WECHU booked farms in blocks of time to ensure workers remained in their appropriate cohort.
Before vaccination day for each farm, the WECHU met with each farm operator to go over logistics for the day, including ensuring all workers had appropriate ID, completed consent (in their preferred language), FAQ documents and transportation arrangements.
On-site the WECHU utilized WE Speak centralized interpretation services to support on demand video interpretation at registration tables and within the vaccination clinic. Additionally the WECHU had support from local partners for in-person interpretation to ensure that individuals received care that was accessible and culturally appropriate.
Farm Experience Evaluation
In order to better understand the effectiveness of this strategy, a feedback evaluation survey was sent to all farms at the end of the 3-week blitz. There were 57 completed surveys, and the findings are as follows:
- Vaccination Registration Process:
- 80% received the initial registration email in a timely manner
- 70% Agreed that the WECHU provided them with the resources they needed to help the worker make an informed choice
- 71% felt supported during the registration process
- Communication:
- The following communication methods were rated as being very helpful and helpful:
- Email – 93%
WECHU Vaccine Webpage for TFWs* - 75% *Google Analytics report showed 1164 visits to the dedicated webpage, from 836 unique users during the 3-week time period (April 18 - May 6) - Phone call/Video meeting – 63%
- Vaccine day logistics checklist – 73%
- Email – 93%
- The following communication methods were rated as being very helpful and helpful:
- Vaccination Day Logistics:
- 80% of respondents felt their workers were well supported at the vaccination clinic
- 75% said the vaccination clinic was well organized and our workers were able to flow through the process without issue (arrival, registration, vaccination, waiting and exiting).
- Feedback
- Positive
- Well organized
- Process was quick at the vaccination centre
- Very thankful
- Suggestions for Improvement
- Reduction in the number of spread sheets required
- Increased flexibility with scheduling appointments
- More information sharing directly with the workers
- Positive
- Successes and Challenges
- Successes
- High uptake by farms
- Well established clinic location
- Safely and efficiently immunized several thousand TFWs
- Excellent partnerships from community agencies
- COVax information uploaded ahead of time helped make day-of registration fast
- “What to Expect on Vaccination Day” information and consent forms provided ahead of time and in multiple languages helped to reduce day-of questions
- Challenges
- Complicated registration system – multiple forms and emails
- Farms having to coordinate group transportation that kept work cohorts separated
- Tight timelines for all tasks
- Resource intensive for everyone involved (WECHU, Farms, Partners)
- Translations required in multiple languages for every resource
- Addressing vaccine hesitancy amongst workers and farm owners
- Successes
Overall, the targeted clinics for Windsor-Essex TFWs were well received and highly successful. The partnership between the municipality of Leamington, the farm owner/operators, several community organizations and the WECHU was a critical component of the process.
Future Plans
Moving forward, there will be ongoing promotion of the community vaccine clinics to late adopters and newly arriving workers who did not accept airport vaccination. Targeted “pop-up” clinics have been held on off hours in evenings to address access and hesitancy issues. There will also be continued engagement with our community partners to ensure that every worker who would like a vaccine is able to receive one.
Agencies who provided direct support to this vaccine project include:
- Municipality of Leamington
- C.A.R.E for International Workers (made up of 9 different organizations)
- Migrant Worker Community Program
- Consulate of Mexico in Leamington
- Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers Inc. (OHCOW)
- Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG)
- Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (OFVGA)
- Windsor-Essex Local Immigration Partnership (WE-LIP)
- Erie St. Clair LHIN
- The Neighbourhood Organization (TNO)
- Ontario Provincial Police
- Workplace Wellness for Agri-Food Workers Task Force
Reference:
- National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools. (2020). Rapid Review: What factors increase the risk of COVID-19 outbreaks in congregate living settings? How do outcomes compare to outbreaks in community settings? https://www.nccmt.ca/knowledgerepositories/covid-19-rapid-evidence-service