The impact of a social support program in Immokalee, Florida, during the COVID-19 pandemic

Farmworkers were considered “essential” during the COVID-19 pandemic, but face structural inequalities that heightened their risk of the pandemic’s health and economic impacts. This study aims to evaluate the impact of a COVID-relief cash transfer program in the farmworking community of Immokalee, F...

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Main Authors: Lindsay Richards, Leping Wang, Joashilia Jeanmarie, Shirin Shafazand, Daniel Palazuelos, Vitina Monacello
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: PAGEPress Publications 2024-12-01
Series:Healthcare in Low-resource Settings
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Online Access:https://www.pagepressjournals.org/hls/article/view/12394
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author Lindsay Richards
Leping Wang
Joashilia Jeanmarie
Shirin Shafazand
Daniel Palazuelos
Vitina Monacello
author_facet Lindsay Richards
Leping Wang
Joashilia Jeanmarie
Shirin Shafazand
Daniel Palazuelos
Vitina Monacello
author_sort Lindsay Richards
collection DOAJ
description Farmworkers were considered “essential” during the COVID-19 pandemic, but face structural inequalities that heightened their risk of the pandemic’s health and economic impacts. This study aims to evaluate the impact of a COVID-relief cash transfer program in the farmworking community of Immokalee, Florida. The authors conducted 153 structured interviews with program beneficiaries via phone call or home visit and asked about sociodemographic variables, how the money was used, whether the money was sufficient for two weeks' financial needs, and participant ability to self-isolate. This study found that the cash transfers were most likely to be spent on living necessities and were effective in relieving COVID 19-associated financial burden, but that some groups may need more support than others. Given that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing health disparities, it is important to understand the role of cash transfers as a public health tool and their potential impact on community mitigation efforts.
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spelling doaj-art-c79df7107fd54355a1ef984e7a67560a2025-08-20T02:40:32ZengPAGEPress PublicationsHealthcare in Low-resource Settings2281-78242024-12-0110.4081/hls.2024.12394The impact of a social support program in Immokalee, Florida, during the COVID-19 pandemicLindsay Richards0Leping Wang1Joashilia Jeanmarie2Shirin Shafazand3Daniel Palazuelos4Vitina Monacello5Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FLDepartment of Sociology, Boston University, Boston, MADepartment of Sociology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FLMiller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FLDepartment of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard University, Boston, MA; Division of Global Health Equity, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA; Partners In Health, Boston, MADepartment of Social Work, Columbia University, New York, NYFarmworkers were considered “essential” during the COVID-19 pandemic, but face structural inequalities that heightened their risk of the pandemic’s health and economic impacts. This study aims to evaluate the impact of a COVID-relief cash transfer program in the farmworking community of Immokalee, Florida. The authors conducted 153 structured interviews with program beneficiaries via phone call or home visit and asked about sociodemographic variables, how the money was used, whether the money was sufficient for two weeks' financial needs, and participant ability to self-isolate. This study found that the cash transfers were most likely to be spent on living necessities and were effective in relieving COVID 19-associated financial burden, but that some groups may need more support than others. Given that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing health disparities, it is important to understand the role of cash transfers as a public health tool and their potential impact on community mitigation efforts. https://www.pagepressjournals.org/hls/article/view/12394Cash transferCOVID-19social supportFloridahealth disparities
spellingShingle Lindsay Richards
Leping Wang
Joashilia Jeanmarie
Shirin Shafazand
Daniel Palazuelos
Vitina Monacello
The impact of a social support program in Immokalee, Florida, during the COVID-19 pandemic
Healthcare in Low-resource Settings
Cash transfer
COVID-19
social support
Florida
health disparities
title The impact of a social support program in Immokalee, Florida, during the COVID-19 pandemic
title_full The impact of a social support program in Immokalee, Florida, during the COVID-19 pandemic
title_fullStr The impact of a social support program in Immokalee, Florida, during the COVID-19 pandemic
title_full_unstemmed The impact of a social support program in Immokalee, Florida, during the COVID-19 pandemic
title_short The impact of a social support program in Immokalee, Florida, during the COVID-19 pandemic
title_sort impact of a social support program in immokalee florida during the covid 19 pandemic
topic Cash transfer
COVID-19
social support
Florida
health disparities
url https://www.pagepressjournals.org/hls/article/view/12394
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