Recorded presentation

Martha Dina Arguello, Environmental Health Programs, Physicians for Social Responsibility - Los Angeles, 3250 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010, 310 458-2694, arguello@psr.org

To effectively respond to growing concerns about the role of the environment in health, community health advocates, clinicians, researchers, educators, public policy officials, and other stakeholders must join together to reduce the risk of environmental health threats and improve quality of life. There is a need to increase community knowledge about environmental health risks, particularly the risks in low-income communities of color, and to increase the effectiveness of advocates through powerful collaborations that can impact local and regional policies to improve air quality. This presentation will facilitate discussion about developing strategic, broad-based partnerships. Approaches that can successfully bring together health groups, environmental justice groups, and more traditional environmental organizations will be highlighted.

Innovative efforts to improve outdoor air quality are happening in Los Angeles. Groups like Physicians for Social Responsibility, California Environmental Rights Alliance, Coalition for Clean Air, Bus Riders Unions, and asthma coalitions like Community Action to Fight Asthma are working together to develop diesel reduction policies. These non-traditional partners have effectively done community education, community organizing, leadership development, and capacity-building to bring about policy change that will improve local environments. There are key issues that health advocates should understand to work effectively in promoting strong environmental health policy. These include understanding the importance of establishing relationships, key issues that get in the way or move the work forward, and how partnerships transform organizations and the movement. Recent environmental justice legislation in California, and community-based efforts to promote implementation of common sense precautionary policies, will also be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• - Describe how an innovative partnership helped pass the California Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Justice Guidelines.
• - Describe how communities are using the precautionary principle to address outdoor air quality and mobilize impacted communities.
• - Discuss the importance of the emerging environmental health movement for improving environmental decision-making.
• - List three ways to help ensure effective partnerships.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation