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

Abstract #116225

Hilton Kelley, Community In-power and Development Association, 601 Woodworth Blvd, Port Arthur, TX 77642, 4094981088, hiltonkelleycida@yahoo.com

Community In-power and Development Association (CIDA) is nonprofit organization that empowers residents of the low-income Port Arthur, Texas community to take action against industrial pollution in our air, land, and water. CIDA believes that chemical polluters can be held accountable for the chemical exposure of low-income communities living along the “fence line” of their operations through community monitoring and action.

CIDA also believes that communities must create and grow their own solutions rather than wait for government to act. That is why CIDA has purchased and begun refurbishing a large building in our rapidly decaying community to serve as a Community Environmental Health Center. Our vision is to build our capacity through development of our Center to conduct environmental health and safety outreach. Our new Center also would serve as the hub for activities such as air/water quality monitoring during industrial upsets, emergency services for exposed community members, provide exposure assessment services, poison control center access, ongoing epidemiological data base to identify environmental risk and monitor disease incidence, health status over time.

The CIDA Center will serve as a beacon and training ground for other polluted industrial communities seeking to establish their own Environmental Health Center. As part of the Bucket Brigade collaborative, CIDA will offer workshops and assistance to community groups throughout the nation on our innovative solutions.

CIDA is also part of a national collaborative, Bucket Brigade, that empowers people to monitor their environment for themselves, take action to protect their health and achieve environmental justice.

Learning Objectives:

• Community-based action to build and grow solutions to environmental health crisis in Refinery/Chemical communities.

Keywords: Environmental Justice, Health Care Access

Related Web page: www.hitechfx-1.com/

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.