Title: Spotlight on Environmental Justice Sessions
Author:
Section/SPIG: Environment
Issue Date:
APHA is excited about a unique partnership that has resulted in an Environmental Justice Track. This track was first suggested by Charles Lee, Associate Director for Policy and Interagency Liaison, Office of Environmental Justice, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and involves key environmental justice and health disparities officials from the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Justice, the National Institute of Health and the U.S. Surgeon General's office.
This partnership has resulted in three sessions that touch on the nexus of environmental justice and health disparities as well as a town hall meeting. These sessions will address such issues as cumulative risks, vulnerable populations, promoting community partnerships and key federal initiatives. They have been organized by an interagency work group. Nsedu Obot Witherspoon, MPH, represented the Environment Section on this group and will moderate one of the sessions.
The Sessions are:
4017.0 Linking Health Disparities and Environmental Justice: Environmental hazards, Cumulative Risks, Vulnerable Populations and Health Disparities, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 8:30 - 10:00.
Linking Health Disparities and Environmental Justice: Promoting Community/Public Health Partnerships, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 12:30 -2:00.
4185.0 Linking Health Disparities and Environmental Justice: Key Federal Initiatives, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2:30 to 4:00
The conclusion of the day will be a Town Hall Meeting on environmental justice from 4:30 to 6:00 (Session 4251) promoting collaborative partnerships between impacted communities, public health practitioners and government agencies to better address health disparities. This will bring together leaders from community based organizations, public health and government to discuss ways of working tougher to ensure every state is working to address these issues. The Town Hall Meeting will be moderated by Kojo Nnamdi, a Washington based public radio host.
NOTE: the above will be a perfect prelude to the Closing session on Wednesday on Environmental Justice featuring Kenneth Olden, Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Paul Epstein, Associate Director of the Center for Health and Global Environment at Harvard and Gary Grant from the Concerned Citizens of Tillery.
Submitted by:
Alan Baker
alan.baker@apha.org