Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #116053

Larry K. Lowry, PhD, Southwest Center for Pediatric Environmental Health, University of Texas Health Center at Tyler, 11937 U.S. Highway 271, University of Texas Health Ctr at Tyler, Tyler, TX 75708-3154, 903-877-5717, larry.lowry@uthct.edu and Katherine Kirkland, MPH, Association of Occupational & Environmental Clinics, 1010 Vermont Ave., NW, Suite 513, Washington, DC 20005.

The PEHSU program was developed by the Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics with Funding from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide education, consultation, and outreach on environmental health concerns. The thirteen PEHSU sites confront a wide range of children's environmental health issues from health professionals and the general public. With only one PEHSU site per ATSDR/EPA region, there is an additional challenge to meeting the needs of a large, geographically diverse region as well. Region 6 encompasses NM, TX, LA, OK, and AR. This presentation provides a snapshot of issues addressed by the Region 6 PEHSU from January 1 to February 28, 2005. These include consultations with public health officials on rashes in a school and with a parent on asbestos in her home. Presentations were given to physicians on mercury issues, to nurses on health disparities and on indoor and outdoor air issues, and to respiratory therapists on asthma triggers. Planning meetings were held on border health issues with Mexico and on mercury issues with the Louisiana Dept. of Environmental Quality. Interventions were conducted in a pediatric clinic regarding Environmental Tobacco Smoke. The center answers calls from pediatricians, nurses, family medicine physicians, federal agencies, state officials, parents, school officials, and teachers from all five states in the region. This presentation will explain how all these activities are accomplished, how the program enhances children's environmental health and how the program model can be adapted for other countries.

Learning Objectives:

• 1. Define the mission of the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU) Program
• 2. Describe the regional availability of a national network of children's environmental heath centers as a no cost valuable resource to public health officials, health professionals and general public
• 3. Understand the diversity of children's environmental health activities addressed by one geographically diverse PEHSU region

Keywords: Children's Health, Environmental Health

Related Web page: www.swepeh.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation