This presentation will highlight some of the activities of the national Partnership for Children's Health and the Environment. The Partnership coalesced following "The Children's Environmental Health Summit" held in New York in September 1999 and has grown three-fold since that time. This collaborative group of organizations includes a wide range of representatives of government, academic and grassroots sectors committed to promoting and protecting children's environmental health, including the American Public Health Association.
The Partnership's first joint action was to draft and adopt a set of Guiding Principles for Children's Environmental Health. The Partnership is continuing to invite other organizations to sign on to the Guiding Principles as a way to raise public awareness about these issues and leverage support for a variety of initiatives across the country. Some of the other coalition-building activities being undertaken by the Partnership's member organizations include: a national collaborative effort focusing on "healthy schools and child care facilities"; a corporate awards program to promote better business practices in regards to children's health; and a longer term planning process for catalyzing a stronger children's environmental health movement nationally and internationally.
Learning Objectives: After attending this session, participants will be able to 1) understand some of the steps involved in establishing and sustaining a national, broad-based coalition, 2) discuss challenges of working with diverse organizations, 3) evaluate communication structures and protocols, 4) describe successful strategies for shaping coalition-driven initiatives
Keywords: Environmental Health, Coalition
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.