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Delivery workers face dangers on the road, pressure from apps makes it worseWhen you think of dangerous jobs, what comes to mind? Construction? Frontline health care? You’d be right — but the person who just delivered your food is also at risk, and it’s getting even more dangerous for them. In a report from Epicenter NYC, this reality is shown for what it is in New York City. As delivery workers crisscross each borough on e-bikes, they face the dangers of car-centric roads, difficult orders from customers, and intense time pressure and scrutiny from their employers’ app algorithms. According to the city’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, 36 out of every 100,000 delivery workers die on the job. Since they are classified as independent contractors, they cannot receive the standard protections of an essential worker, such as health care or worker’s compensation, as Ligia Guallpa, executive director at the Worker’s Justice Project, explains to Epicenter NYC. Guallpa has made progress in organizing delivery workers through the WJP for several years, forming a union of app-based delivery workers called Los Deliveristas Unidos. It has helped secure a minimum wage and guaranteed bathroom access, and also won tip transparency and the right to set a maximum travel distance. Read the full report →

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‘Nurse Unseen’In a new documentary, Emmy-winning filmmaker Michele Josue centers the undeniable contributions of Filipino nurses to U.S. health care, and tells their frontline stories of the Covid-19 pandemic. The film traces the colonial relationship between the Philippines and the U.S., analyzing how the nation came to be “the largest exporter of nurses worldwide” and why Filipino nurses have remained so unseen, according to AsAmNews. The film drew large enough audiences at its first screenings this October to now be available in limited release, which means it is eligible for Academy Award consideration. New screenings will take the work from Virginia to Hawaii, and later to Vancouver and Amsterdam. More from AsAmNews →

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Sacred BreathNovember is Native American Heritage Month, and National Lung Cancer Awareness Month. In honor of both, the American Indian Cancer Foundation (AICAF) has kicked off its Sacred Breath Campaign for the sixth year. As Native News Online reports, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Native communities. The campaign addresses this disproportionate impact in culturally responsive ways, including raising awareness of cancer risks, promoting lung-healthy practices, and implementing preventative steps, such as early screening. The campaign also urges people to avoid commercial tobacco, which Native Americans use at a higher rate than the general population. However, Native News Online explains how AICAF’s efforts also recognize the importance of the plant’s traditional Indigenous uses in cultural, spiritual, and medicinal settings — which long predate Big Tobacco. More on the campaign →

Highlighting the innovators transforming health outcomes in our communities

A 12-year-old Nigerian-American student in Connecticut has turned a school project into a public health solution. TANTV explains how Eniola Shokunbi built a near-perfect air filter — that rivals anything else on the market — for just $60, and secured millions in state funding to put the design to work in schools. → Credit: Eniola Shokunbi