scholarly journals The Washington State Environmental Health Disparities Map: Development of a Community-Responsive Cumulative Impacts Assessment Tool

Author(s):  
Esther Min ◽  
Deric Gruen ◽  
Debolina Banerjee ◽  
Tina Echeverria ◽  
Lauren Freelander ◽  
...  

Communities across Washington State have expressed the need for neighborhood-level information on the cumulative impact of environmental hazards and social conditions to illuminate disparities and address environmental justice issues. Many existing mapping tools have not explicitly integrated community voice and lived experience as an integral part of their development. The goals of this project were to create a new community–academic–government partnership to collect and summarize community concerns and to develop a publicly available mapping tool that ranks relative environmental health disparities for populations across Washington State. Using a community-driven framework, we developed the Washington Environmental Health Disparities Map, a cumulative environmental health impacts assessment tool. Nineteen regularly updated environmental and population indicators were integrated into the geospatial tool that allows for comparisons of the cumulative impacts between census tracts. This interactive map provides critical information for the public, agencies, policymakers, and community-based organizations to make informed decisions. The unique community–academic–government partnership and the community-driven framework can be used as a template for other environmental and social justice mapping endeavors.

Author(s):  
Victor Ortiz ◽  
Rachael Cain ◽  
Scott W. Formica ◽  
Rebecca Bishop ◽  
Haner Hernández ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose of Review The field of problem gambling has been historically disconnected from the community experience of gambling and people of color, leading to a lack of integration of those with lived experience into programming. The aim of this article is to describe community-centered efforts to prevent and mitigate harm from problem gambling in Massachusetts—including a pilot program, the Massachusetts Ambassador Project, which is grounded within public health and lived experience frameworks. Recent Findings To engage Massachusetts communities in problem gambling prevention, planning processes were conducted to develop culturally appropriate prevention strategies. One of the recurrent themes was the desire of men in the substance misuse recovery community to share their knowledge with others, specifically, men of color who experience racism and health disparities. This finding informed the development of the Ambassador Project, a novel, peer-based, community-centered, and culturally responsive approach for men of color who have a history of substance misuse to engage other men of color in problem gambling prevention. Two organizations pilot tested the project and reached 4388 individuals. The pilot led to several findings in the design and implementation of related projects. Lessons are shared in three categories: structure, support, and implementation. Summary This article demonstrates an innovative approach to connect the field of problem gambling prevention to the community experience, using a public health and social justice lens. Others in the field should acknowledge the disconnect between problem gambling and the lived experience of those disproportionately impacted by creating opportunities for community voice to be at the center of programming.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stelios Katsanevakis ◽  
Konstantinos Tsirintanis ◽  
Maria Sini ◽  
Vasilis Gerovasileiou ◽  
Nikoletta Koukourouvli

ALAS aims to fill knowledge gaps on the impacts of marine alien species in the Aegean Sea, and support marine managers and policy makers in prioritizing mitigation actions. The project will focus on under-studied alien-native interactions, priority and vulnerable habitats (such as shallow forests of canopy algae and underwater caves), and apply a multitude of approaches. It will apply a standardized, quantitative method for mapping Cumulative IMpacts of invasive Alien species on marine ecosystems (CIMPAL), according to which cumulative impact scores are estimated on the basis of the distributions of invasive species and ecosystems, and both the reported magnitude of ecological impacts and the strength of such evidence. Towards that direction, ALAS will improve our knowledge base and compile the needed information to estimate CIMPAL by (1) conducting a series of field experiments and surveys to investigate the impacts of selected invasive alien species on marine habitats, (2) producing high-resolution habitat maps in the coastal zone, refining the results of previous research efforts through fieldwork, remote sensing and satellite imaging, (3) producing species distribution models for all invasive species, based on extensive underwater surveys for the collection of new data and integrating all existing information. ALAS will incorporate skills and analyses in novel ways and provide high-resolution results at a large scale; couple classic and novel tools and follow a trans-disciplinary approach, combining knowledge from the fields of invasion biology, conservation biology, biogeography, fisheries science, marine ecology, remote sensing, statistical modelling; conduct for the first time in the Aegean Sea a comprehensive, high-resolution analysis of cumulative impacts of invasive alien species; and report results in formats appropriate for decision-makers and society, thus transferring research-based knowledge to inform and influence policy decisions.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 59
Author(s):  
Malte Gregorzewski ◽  
Michael Schratz ◽  
Christian Wiesner

This paper introduces the innovative model FieldTransFormation360 and its aim to help educational leaders in assessing their personal mastery. Moreover, it presents empirical findings from its first exploratory applicationin an Austrian leadership framework. In a first conceptual part, the theoretical underpinnings and the context of the origin of the model are outlined with reference to similar approaches in the area of school leadership. In the following part, the application of the model is introduced through the explanation of the methodology and how the model is turned into a self-assessment instrument. Insights into the results of its exploratoryapplication in the Austrian Leadership Academy are presented in the empirical part. Its first application serves as the consolidation and validation of FieldTransFormation360 as a meaningful self-assessment tool for the professional development of school leaders. The results of the exploratory approach with participants in the Austrian Leadership Academy suggest that the model and its instrument can be regarded as a robust assessment tool for the development of a deeper understanding about the transformative power through personal and professional development in the lived experience of educational leadership.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (S1) ◽  
pp. 67-67
Author(s):  
Miraj U. Desai ◽  
Nadika Paranamana ◽  
Maria Restrepo-Toro ◽  
Luz Ocasio ◽  
Yolanda Herring ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: This poster will present preliminary results from a study examining whether person-centered care planning—a new innovation in community mental health care—responds to the culture of, and helps reduce health disparities among, Latinx and Asian populations. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: The study was funded by an NIMH/NIH Administrative Supplement for Minority Health and Mental Health Disparities Research and approved by the Institutional Review Board of the authors’ university. Participants included 26 mental health clients and 12 mental health providers of diverse backgrounds. The study employed empirical qualitative methods to explore client understandings of mental health, client experiences of culture and discrimination, and the process of care engagement and care planning from both client and provider perspectives. The analysis team itself included people of Latinx and Asian background, as well as a person with lived experience of mental health recovery. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: We anticipate that the results will show ways in which person-centered care successfully incorporates clients’ goals, but that there will also be evidence of ways in which the clinical encounter struggles to incorporate more social, collective, and cultural values and approaches. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: The poster will present up-to-date findings on this project, which speaks to pressing issues of health equity and community engagement for 2 of the fastest growing populations in the country.


Author(s):  
Steeve Rouillon ◽  
Houria El Ouazzani ◽  
Jean-Benoit Hardouin ◽  
Line Enjalbert ◽  
Sylvie Rabouan ◽  
...  

Background: Despite mediatization, only half of pregnant women are informed about endocrine disruptors (EDs). We wished to inquire about appropriate environmental health education procedures during pregnancy: Who, when, and how? Methods: The question stems from a comprehensive population health intervention research project. It includes qualitative studies aimed at constructing an educational program in environmental health and an accompanying assessment tool. The validation of a customized questionnaire (PREVED© for Pregnancy Prevention Endocrine Disruptors) about the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of pregnant women regarding exposure to EDs was carried out in a quantitative study. Results: Health education by a prenatal professional with communication skills should take place as early as possible, during the preconception period or early pregnancy, as part of individual consultation or group workshops. In order to customize the discourse and to develop women’s empowerment, concomitant presentation of the risks by the products used in each room and of previous solutions is recommended. Conclusion: Appropriate health education procedures on EDs should be done at every contact but taking the KAP of pregnant women into account first. We propose all educational actions should be accompanied by questioning of the KAP of pregnant women; for example, with questions from the PREVED© questionnaire.


Author(s):  
Robin A. Evans-Agnew ◽  
Julie Postma ◽  
Ariana Ochoa Camacho ◽  
Rachel M. Hershberg ◽  
Elsa Trujilio ◽  
...  

2012 ◽  
Vol 102 (12) ◽  
pp. 2344-2351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret T. Hicken ◽  
Gilbert C. Gee ◽  
Jeffrey Morenoff ◽  
Cathleen M Connell ◽  
Rachel C. Snow ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Leslie Rubin ◽  
Robert J. Geller ◽  
Janice Nodvin ◽  
Michele Marcus ◽  
Maeve Howett ◽  
...  

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 6569-6614 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Lauri ◽  
H. de Moel ◽  
P. J. Ward ◽  
T. A. Räsänen ◽  
M. Keskinen ◽  
...  

Abstract. The transboundary Mekong River is facing two on-going changes that are estimated to significantly impact its hydrology and the characteristics of its exceptional flood pulse. The rapid economic development of the riparian countries has led to massive plans for hydropower construction, and the projected climate change is expected to alter the monsoon patterns and increase temperature in the basin. The aim of this study is to assess the cumulative impact of these factors on the hydrology of the Mekong within next 20–30 yr. We downscaled output of five General Circulation Models (GCMs) that were found to perform well in the Mekong region. For the simulation of reservoir operation, we used an optimisation approach to estimate the operation of multiple reservoirs, including both existing and planned hydropower reservoirs. For hydrological assessment, we used a distributed hydrological model, VMod, with a grid resolution of 5 km × 5 km. In terms of climate change's impact to hydrology, we found a high variation in the discharge results depending on which of the GCMs is used as input. The simulated change in discharge at Kratie (Cambodia) between the baseline (1982–1992) and projected time period (2032–2042) ranges from −11% to +15% for the wet season and −10% to +13% for the dry season. Our analysis also shows that the changes in discharge due to planned reservoir operations are clearly larger than those simulated due to climate change: 25–160% higher dry season flows and 5–24% lower flood peaks in Kratie. The projected cumulative impacts follow rather closely the reservoir operation impacts, with an envelope around them induced by the different GCMs. Our results thus indicate that within the coming 20–30 yr, the operation of planned hydropower reservoirs is likely to have a larger impact on the Mekong hydrograph than the impacts of climate change, particularly during the dry season. On the other hand, climate change will increase the uncertainty of the estimated hydropower impacts. Consequently, both dam planners and dam operators should pay better attention to the cumulative impacts of climate change and reservoir operation to the aquatic ecosystems, including the multibillion-dollar Mekong fisheries.


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