Dr. Hongmei Tong is partnering with scholars at two other universities and the Alberta International Medical Graduate Association to study the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of factory workers who are immigrants, refugees and temporary foreign workers.
Tong, an assistant professor of social work at MacEwan University, is part of a team that received close to $25,000 from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) as part of the national funding agency's special COVID-19 Partnership Engage Grants initiative.
"Emerging evidence suggests that factory workers who belong to racial and ethnic minorities experience greater disadvantages during disasters, such as a pandemic," explains Tong. "They may also have less access to services, and may be treated differently than the mainstream population."
Using their expertise in newcomer wellbeing, the research team will review existing literature, identify existing national and international programs and services, and conduct telephone surveys with factory workers in Calgary, High River and Brooks. Their results will inform AIMGA's decision-making and program planning to support the mental health of newcomers.
The SSHRC-funded project team includes Tong, Dr. Turin Tanvir Chowdhury and Dr. Christine Walsh from the University of Calgary, Dr. Zack Marshall of McGill University and partners from the Alberta International Medical Graduate Association.
