Partnerships for environmental and occupational justice: contributions to research, capacity and public health.
In 1994, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) initiated a program to address communication gaps between community residents, researchers and health care providers in the context of disproportionate environmental exposures. Over 13 years, together with the Environmental Protection Agency and National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety, NIEHS funded 54 environmental justice projects. Here we examine the methods used and outcomes produced based on data gathered from summaries submitted for annual grantees' meetings. Data highlight how projects fulfilled program objectives of improving community awareness and capacity and the positive public health and public policy outcomes achieved. Our findings underscore the importance of community participation in developing effective, culturally sensitive interventions and emphasize the importance of systematic program planning and evaluation.
Baron
Sherry
S
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4676 Columbia Parkway, R-17, Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA. SBaron@cdc.gov
Sinclair
Raymond
R
Payne-Sturges
Devon
D
Phelps
Jerry
J
Zenick
Harold
H
Collman
Gwen W
GW
O'Fallon
Liam R
LR
D057191:Capacity Building; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004782:Environmental Health; D006801:Humans; D054585:National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (U.S.); D016272:Occupational Health; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011634:Public Health; D012106:Research; D014481:United States