CONTACT:

Eric Cárdenas, CCEHP - 805.886.0355
Jesus Estrada, FIOB - 805.878.1452

Grand Opening of the Offices of the Central Coast
Environmental Health Project (CCEHP) and the Oaxacan Indigenous Binational Front (FIOB)

Santa Maria, CA. - The Central Coast Environmental Health Project (CCEHP) and the Oaxacan Indigenous Binational Front (FIOB) celebrated the grand opening of their new offices on Sunday, at an afternoon event attended by hundreds of local community members.

"The opening of our new offices symbolize a new opportunity for thousands of farmworkers in Santa Maria to become more educated on issues that are of particular concern to them," said Eric Cárdenas, director of CCEHP. "Among these issues are pesticide safety."

The grand opening included live music, indigenous dance performances, children's activities and food. In addition, the Community Health Centers of the Central Coast (CHC) were on site to provide free medical exams to anyone who was interested.

CCEHP and FIOB have opened an office in order to provide services directly to farmworker communities. CCEHP's immediate goals include conducting a demographic assessment of the indigenous farmworking population living in Santa Maria in order to determine pressing needs within this growing, and largely disenfranchised, community. Secondly, CCEHP hopes to begin a "Train the Trainer" program to help farmworkers address pesticide concerns on their own.

"The Mixteco population in Santa Maria is large and growing," said Cárdenas. "To provide basic information and services to them is a no-brainer, and we are happy to help in any way we can."

FIOB's programs will include working on wide-ranging issues, including local transportation initiatives to the larger debate over driver's licenses for undocumented workers. In addition, FIOB is assisting CCEHP in outreaching to the local Mixteco population.

The Central Coast Environmental Health Project (CCEHP) has recently received funding from statewide foundations that will enable CCEHP to continue to provide information related to pesticide use and exposure in agricultural communities. In order for CCEHP to accomplish its goals, an office has been opened in Santa Maria in order to interface more directly with farmworker communities. CCEHP has partnered with Oaxacan Indigenous Binational Front (FIOB) to better serve local farmworkers and hopes to begin a series of new outreach projects in the near future with indigenous workers as well.

CCEHP is a project of the Environmental Defense Center (EDC) and the Environmental Center of San Luis Obispo (ECOSLO) whose mission is to raise awareness about health risks posed by pesticide exposure while decreasing our reliance on pesticides through education and advocacy.

FIOB is a binational organization working to promote equity, education and support services for Oaxacan immigrants, especially those of indigenous descent.

For more information, please call CCEHP at 886-0355 or FIOB at 878-1452.