The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #49779

Leyla Erk McCurdy, MPhil, Sr Director, Health & Environment Programs, National Environmental Education and Training Foundation, 1707 H Street, NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20006, (202) 261-6488, mccurdy@neetf.org

The goal of this Initiative, developed by NEETF and U.S. EPA, in collaboration with other federal agencies and a broad range of stakeholders, is to improve the recognition, management and prevention of health effects from pesticide exposures. The Initiative is set in the broad context of environmental health and holds as its preamble recommendations adopted from the Institute of Medicine: environmental health concepts will be reflected in all levels of education of primary care providers; interdisciplinary approaches will be used when educating health care providers; environmental health content will be an integral part of lifelong learning and continuing education of health care providers; professional associations, public agencies and private organizations will provide more resources and educational opportunities to enhance environmental health in primary care practice.

This Initiative’s three- pronged strategy is the first step in tackling the broad challenge of environmental education. Based on the supporting body of scientific data, pesticides issues present themselves as an excellent model through which the public health community can integrate all environmental issues into the education and training of health care professionals. The Initiative provides an opportunity for the public health community to move an environmental health issue through primary care in a coordinated, integrated manner; evaluate and modify its approaches over 10 years; and. assess opportunities to broaden environmental education and practice skills of providers by applying this approach to other environmental health issues.

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