The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #49790

Julia Burgess¹, Ralph M. Scott¹, Leticia Ayala², Nancy Ibrahim, MPH³, Greg Luce⁴, and Amy McLean Salls⁵. (1) Community Environmental Health Resource Center, Alliance To End Childhood Lead Poisoning, 227 Massachusetts Av., NE, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20002, 202-543-1147, jburgess@aeclp.org, (2) Environmental Health Coalition, 1717 Kettner Bl., Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92101, (3) Community Health Program, Esperanza Community Housing Corporation, 2337 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90007, (4) Project 504, 1113 East Franklin Av., Suite 309, Minneapolis, MN 55404, (5) Connecticut Citizen Research Group, 115 Sigourney St., Hartford, CT 06105

The Community Environmental Health Resource Center (CEHRC – pronounced “search”) is a new resource available to grassroots groups working for safe, affordable housing in low-income communities. CEHRC seeks to help community-based organizations build their capacity to empower residents, catalyze action, and expand economic opportunities by providing access to environmental testing tools and right-to-know strategies.

This poster will describe CEHRC's main components and services, provide information on how healthy homes advocates can access CEHRC's services and resources, and show examples of how local organizing and advocacy organizations can protect children at highest risk from environmental health hazards, particularly hazards posed by substandard housing (e.g., lead, carbon monoxide, pesticides and indoor environmental factors related to asthma) by collecting environmental samples to document hazardous conditions and using the results strategically to trigger corrective action.

CEHRC is designed to develop tools that bridge the gap between science and community practice. It is hoped that visitors to this poster exhibit will become excited about the tools’ possibilities in building community involvement and want to try to use the tools to expand their organizing and advocacy initiatives.

Learning Objectives: After viewing the poster exhibit, participants will be able to

• List the main components of the Community Environmental Health Support Center, or CEHRC
  adapting and developing environmental sampling tools for use by community groups, technical assistance and training, and subgrants to community groups for local healthy homes projects.
  • Understand how to access CEHRC's services and resources.
  • Articulate how sampling for environmental health hazards in high risk homes can be used as a community organinzing/advocacy tool to catalyze action for hazard reduction.

  Keywords: Environmental Health Hazards, Housing

  Related Web page: www.aeclp.org/cehrc.html

  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.

  Children's Environmental Health Issues in Environmental Health Practice: Indicators, Assessment , Exposure & Community Outreach

  The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA