The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #38125

Stephanie Farquhar, PhD, School of Community Health, Portland State University, PO Box 751, Portland, OR 97207-0751, 503.725.5167, farquhar@pdx.edu

Portland, Oregon is a pro civic-participation community that relies heavily on its residents to inform the city’s political, social, and economic agenda. Discover how a citywide process of community participation translates to policy and decision-making regarding environmental issues of urban sprawl, transportation, industry, green space, and health disparities. A partnership involving community residents, community-based agencies and organizations, healthcare providers, the local health department, and local, state, and federal agencies was established to assess environmental exposures, rates of morbidity and mortality, and residents’ attitude and knowledge about local environmental issues. The assessment team is guided by the philosophy and methodology outlined in Protocol for Assessing Community Excellence in Environmental Health (PACE-EH), developed by the National Association of County and City Health Officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This presentation discusses specific lessons learned, preliminary data, and resultant action steps based on the assessment of the local environment and health among Portland-area residents.

Learning Objectives:

• 1. Describe the major stages of the PACE-EH protocol for environmental and community health assessment.
• 2. Articulate the challenges and potential solutions to barriers to community participation in an environmental assessment.
• 3. Identify the potential roles and contributions of community to public health programs.
• 4. Identify five indicators of an environmentally healthy community.

Keywords: Environmental Justice, Community-Based Partnership

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.