Search

The environment and public health are managed by separate institutions that often operate in isolation from each other. This system is often referred to as managing in "silos." The resulting lack of coordination, inadequate consideration of cumulative effects, and diffuse targets for change contribute to the persistence of many environmental justice problems. There are many barriers to bridging these silos, particularly at state and federal levels. Local collaborations, however, may have greater potential for changing these systems. There has been limited assessment of successful local environmental health initiatives. This paper explores three case studies of local collaboration: lead poisoning prevention in Rochester, New York; promoting a healthy and equitable built environment in Duluth, Minnesota; and increasing consideration of community health in decisions around the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, California. It develops a research agenda to inform future collaborations to improve environmental health equity through local systems change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental health researchers, government agencies, and community groups have endorsed long-term community–academic partnerships as an effective strategy to support science-based improvements in environmental health. Social sciences concepts, approaches, and methods are fundamental to these translational partnerships. However, appropriate roles for academic partners vary throughout the process of changing systems (policies, practices, programs, etc.). This can complicate planning, evaluating, and sustaining such partnerships. We set forth a conceptual framework for academic partners’ roles at different stages of systems change. We apply this framework to three longstanding academic–community partnerships involving National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Community Outreach and Engagement Cores. We conclude by discussing how the framework can help academic partners tap appropriate expertise, redefine their roles, and evaluate their contributions to community efforts to improve environmental health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Rochester, New York, Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning formed in 2001 with the goal of eliminating childhood lead poisoning by 2010. The Coalition recruited diverse community stakeholders into a collaborative process committed to using the best available science. The Coalition successfully infused the debate about a new lead poisoning law with local data, national analyses, and the latest medical research. We argue that this was facilitated by a boundary network of individuals who provided technical input throughout the process. As a result of the Coalition's advocacy, in 2005 the Rochester City Council unanimously passed an ordinance that has been hailed as one of the nation's "smartest" lead laws. Many communities are looking to Rochester's new lead ordinance as a model. Both the process and outcome of this case provide valuable lessons for collaborative efforts to promote scientifically sound local environmental health policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. In several cities, researchers have found that a discrete number of properties owned by a small number of owners house multiple lead poisoned children over time. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not a small number of properties were implicated in the poisoning of multiple children in Rochester, New York, between 1993 and 2004. Methods. We analyzed the patterns of ownership and repeated positive environmental investigations (i.e., documented lead hazards) in homes of lead poisoned children using county health department data during a 12-year period. Results. A small percentage (14.8%) of properties in which the health department found a lead hazard had previously documented lead hazards. When a second positive investigation occurred, the average elapsed time between investigations was a little less than three years. Only four property owners owned more than two properties that had multiple positive investigations. Conclusions. In some cities, a small number of properties or property owners provide housing for a large percentage of lead poisoned children. However, this situation is not universal. In Rochester, a relatively small percentage of homes that housed a child with an elevated blood lead level have a history of housing lead poisoned children. In cities like Rochester, lead hazard reduction resources should focus on high-risk housing stock determined by factors such as age, value, and condition, rather than on those with a prior record of housing lead poisoned children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ecosystem approach to managing the environment requires significant changes to our current environmental management system. However in many cases, financial and political realities may prevent full adoption of the approach. It is important to consider what partial implementation can contribute to improved coordination of management efforts. This article examines the effectiveness of a voluntary coordinating body as a first step toward ecosystem management. The Darby Partnership is a decade-old ecosystem management institution that brings together representatives of government, industry, and the public to protect one of the most pristine stream systems in Ohio. The partnership has no explicit goals, formal planning process, independent funding, or authority. Thus, it is an extremely skeletal version of ecosystem management. This article analyzes the accomplishments of this coordinating institution and explores how the partnership might become more effective in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]