Community Outreach & Education

The Center for Environmental Health in Northern Manhattan (CEHNM), West Harlem Environmental Action, Inc. (WE ACT), For A Better Bronx (FABB) and other community partners and stakeholders will collaborate to provide community outreach and education to realize the goals of the Community Outreach and Education Core (COEC) set out in the NIEHS request for applications. These goals are to develop partnerships with stakeholders, to translate and disseminate CEHNM science, to work with community organizations and other partners to enhance dialogue on environmental health issues, to develop and implement outreach and education programs to increase awareness and understanding of research being conducted at the CEHNM and to evaluate outreach models, disseminate results at local and national levels and promote models for national implementation. Our specific aims, which reflect these goals, are: Aim 1: Translate and communicate CEHNM findings on environmental health to multiple audiences, including community-based organizations, residents, elected officials, policymakers and other stakeholders. This will be accomplished through: ¿ Public testimony at local and state government hearings ¿ Briefings and roundtables for policymakers ¿ Community forums and conferences ¿ Communicating environmental health research findings to coalitions of community organizations to support their efforts to improve the health-related safety of housing in New York City ¿ Education for health professionals in practice and training ¿ CEHNM newsletters Aim 2: Provide education and training for community residents and community-based organization (CBO) staff on environmental health topics to enable them to disseminate information to community members on environmental health risks and protective actions. This will be accomplished by: ¿ An Annual Environmental Health and Justice Leadership Training Program Aim 3: Encourage youth of color to enter medical and science careers, including environmental health sciences by: ¿ Expanding our partnership with the Lang Youth Medical Program at New York Presbyterian Hospital at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC). Aim 4: Involve community-based organizations in the work of the CEHNM by: ¿ Further development of the CEHNM's Community Advisory Board