Core C: Community Engagement Core

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Abstract The Community Engagement Core (CEC) plays a special role in the Superfund Research Program. CEC staff typically becomes the ?face? of the program to the public and, as such, provides an important service to investigators, core directors and staff of the program. CEC staff assists the Research Translation Core by helping identify and contact stakeholders for the research conducted in the SRP. The CEC also builds bi- directional relationships with community organizations and agencies involved in hazardous waste site clean- up. The CEC has a long history of working with government agencies, Tribal Nations, community groups and coalitions (NWTCC), health professionals, and individual stakeholders to address environmental problems of concern. During the next 5 years, we will build on the strengths of our program as well as expand our activities and partnerships. The specific aims of the CEC are to 1) Build upon our previous collaborations with the Northwest Toxic Communities Coalition (NWTCC) to address hazardous waste site issues common across neighborhoods, 2) Continue our successful Region 10 community partnerships and expand these partnerships to include communities associated with our investigators? proposed field studies- Lake Killarney in the state of Washington and the town of Myerton in South Africa, and 3) Strengthen our ties with Federal, State and local agencies to assist them in communicating effectively with communities impacted by hazardous waste sites in EPA Region 10 (Wash. Oregon, Idaho, Alaska). The CEC will build upon previous successes with the NWTCC and expand our activities with quarterly Webinars to address topics in-depth and in the context of specific site concerns. Working with our training core, we will provide assistance on interpreting scientific findings, messaging, and community involvement. We will also build upon our previous successes with other community partners and expand our activities with them and our new partners living near Lake Killarney in the state of Washington and the town of Myerton in South Africa. The scope of our activity with these partners will depend on the needs of the different organizations, but a common thread among all the groups will be the need for assistance with information dissemination and community education. Finally, we will strengthen our ties with Federal, State and local agencies. Our longstanding working partnership with EPA, ATSDR and state and local government agencies involved in hazardous waste site clean-up will expand during the next grant period in response to requests from agency staff. New initiatives to address community concerns throughout EPA Region 10 are planned. The common thread across all of our activities with the NWTCC, individual community organizations, and Federal, State and local agencies is to help these organizations build capacity in areas critical for their success. We believe that the program?s past activities and future plans provide strong evidence of our ability to meet this challenge.