 |
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
|
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Brenda M. Afzal, RN, MS, School of Nursing, University of Maryland, Baltimore, 655 West Lombard Street, Room 682, Baltimore, MD 21201, 410-706-1778, afzal@son.umaryland.edu, Barbara Brady, MS RN, Department of Behavioral & Community Health, University of Maryland, Baltimore School of Nursing, 655 West Lombard Street, Suite 625, Baltimore, MD 21201, and Barbara Sattler, DrPH, RN, Environmental Health Education Center, University of Maryland, School of Nursing, 655 West Lombard Street, Room 665, Baltimore, MD 21201-1579.
Increasingly, Public health professionals are being called upon to address environmentally-related health problems. The purpose of this session is to report on the ongoing community task force effort to investigate drinking water quality concerns and to report on the findings of a drinking water survey administered to the entire community of Avis, PA. Avis Borough is a community of 1700 people located in, Pennsylvania. Community residents are concerned that their health is being affected by the quality of water that is available at the tap subsequent to a change in drinking water source from surface water to ground water. A brief history of the community’s concern with their drinking water quality, the steps taken to establish an environmental task force, and the barriers encountered in the process will be discussed. A survey was developed to assess three things: (1) the level of community concern; (2) possible relationships between tap water use and morbidity; and (3) possible educational needs related to the drinking water alternatives selected by the community. Survey results will be presented, as well as a discussion of the importance of nursing involvement in environmental health issues.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Community-Based Public Health, Drinking Water Quality
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.