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Health Provider Engagement

In August 2006, CEHN launched a three-year project to educate leaders in three key communities - pediatric and other health professions, environmental justice, and public health - about the impact of environmental hazard exposures on the health and welfare of children, and to encourage leaders in these communities to promote awareness of the issues of children’s environmental health.

Through this project, CEHN will:

• Organize training opportunities for health care professionals serving high-risk populations of color and/or lower social economic status;

• Provide ongoing support and resources to trained leaders to help them advocate, organize, and serve as spokespeople in their communities and at a local level; and

• Begin a national network of these professionals, able to take coordinated leadership roles on local, state, and national initiatives.

During the spring and summer of 2007, CEHN researched and set priorities for the key organizations in each of these communities to target for outreach in this effort.  CEHN submitted abstracts for presentations to targeted health professional conferences, beginning in fall 2006.

In partnership with the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF), CEHN made presentations at conferences around the country, such as the 11th National Hispanic Medical Association Conference (March 2007); the Environmental Justice in America Conference (March 2007), the 39th Annual National Association of School Nurses Conference (June 2007). In addition, Ms. Witherspoon presented at the Eastern Queens Alliance Symposium (May 2007).  The program is advised by a Task Force of professionals representing the three targeted communities and membership for this group began in 2007.

CEHN and NEEF have begun scheduling meetings with leaders in the National Hispanic Medical Association, the National Association of School Nurses, the National Association of Hispanic Nurses, and the National Black Nurses Association.  The goal of stage two of this project is to further engage these organizations and their members and to assist them in incorporating children’s environmental health issues into their current work. 

The National Hispanic Medical Association represents 36,000 licensed Hispanic physicians and the National Medical Association represents over 30,000 African American physicians.  The National Association of Black Nurses represents an estimated 150,000 African American nurses in the U.S., Caribbean, and Africa while the National Association of School Nurses represent 17,000 school nurses (one-third of all school nurses) in the country.  The opportunities that this project has to reach key advocates is very important to the protective health and well-being of our children.  A unique network is developing that will bring together these organizations under the umbrella of protecting children’s environmental health and serving as key advocates in the field.

CEHN is very appreciative for the support by the ENVIRON Foundation in funding this project.

For more information about this project or to explore opportunities for collaboration, please contact CEHN’s Executive Director, Nsedu Obot Witherspoon at (202) 543-4033 ext. 14 or nobot@cehn.org

10/30/08