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

Abstract #116588

Tom Goldtooth, Indigenous Environment Network/Bemidji Main Office, PO Box 485, Bemidji, MN 56619, 218- 751-4967, ien@igc.org

Tribal grassroots organizations like the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) have attempted collaborative efforts with various federal public health and environmental agencies. This presentation will draw upon the 15 year experience of IEN by highlighting its work with tribal communities towards sustainable livelihoods, public health advocacy and environmental health and justice. Specifically, this discussion will look at the challenges for tribal nations in working on health and policy initiatives with state and federal agencies.

Four main points will be presented and discussed:

1) The grassroots bottom-up approach to tribal community organizing includes education and assessment of the environmental health needs and determining effective solutions. 2) An examination of the role that tribes play in making certain tribal environmental health issues are a priority on the federal policy and decision-making levels. 3) Understanding tribal experiences and concerns with public health and environmental decision-making, including the use of the risk assessment paradigm. 4) Presentation of examples of alternatives, including the importance of the precautionary policies, based in the precautionary principle.

Learning Objectives:

• Provide a tribal grassroots environmental health and justice perspective of the challenges in working with tribal, state and federal health service agencies.
• Describe three types of evidence needed by tribal communities and nations to organize, maintain and secure better public health services.
• Give at least four examples of some of the political barriers inhibiting environmental health collaborative efforts in Indian Country.

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.