Community health agents in the context of the implementation of a major infrastructure project: the case of Belo Monte hydroelectric power plant, Altamira-PA

Abstract

The aim of this article is to analyze the perception of community health agents (CHA) about the performance of their activities in the context of the implementation of Belo Monte hydroelectric power plant. This construction project intensified economic and social processes and highlighted the challenges of community work. Through focus groups and questionnaires applied to CHA in 2015, we analyzed the perception of CHA who work in the region, impacted by the construction of the dam, on: their recognition and satisfaction with their work; the identification of risky areas and of families exposed to risky events; the difficulties found during home visits and the impacts of health indicators brought by the Belo Monte project. The article intends to contribute to the improvement of future strategies and to promote the better incorporation of these agents in the process of identification and mitigation of impacts in large infrastructure projects, given the proximity and daily contact of these agents with the problems of the city and its residents.