Programs

Problem Statement/ Why is this Program Needed?

The rationale of this campaign is multifaceted:

1. Community residents are challenged daily to make decisions about what exposures may be harmful to their health. Training and education to better understand the exposures and their sources empowers them to make informed decisions.
2. Lack of communication has fostered distrust between community members and researchers. Tools and models to promote interaction and communication between the two groups foster trust and mutual understanding, which benefits researchers and community members.
3. Active participation of community members in the identification of research questions provides residents with a sense of ownership and understanding of direct benefit to their public health. Consequently, residents are more likely to volunteer for and participate in the research project. Greater community participation may benefit research outcomes.
 

Desired Outcomes 

• Methods for linking members of a community with researchers & health care providers.
• Increased awareness of basic environmental health concepts, issues, and resources.
• Greater community role in identifying and defining problems and risks related to environmental exposures.
• Inclusion of community in dialogue shaping research approaches to the problem.
• Improved Public Health
• Policy change

Campaign Overview 

The purpose of the campaign is to enable community residents to more actively participate in the full spectrum of research and awareness exposure. To achieve this goal, the program is designed to bring together three partners: a community organization, community residents, and an environmental health researcher to develop approaches to building communication, trust and capacity, with the final goal of increasing applied environmental awareness (environmental intelligence) and advocacy.