CHAPTER FOUR:
HEALTH EDUCATION AND PROMOTION
T
he Division of Health Education and Promotion (DHEP) offers a broad,
in-depth foundation for health promotion, health education,
environmental medicine, and risk communication activities through its four
functional units: (1) Office of the Director, (2) Health Education Branch, (3)
Health Promotion Branch, and (4) Communications and Research Branch.
ATSDR, through DHEP, conducted or supported activities to achieve agency
goals for health promotion, health education, risk communication, medical
intervention, and capacity and partnership building.
ATSDR, in cooperation with its partners, performed health education and
promotion activities at approximately 315 sites in FY 1999.
HEALTH EDUCATION ACTIVITIES
Health education activities were focused in three areas: (1) development of
health education programs and materials for diverse populations; (2)
implementation of a national strategy in environmental health training for
nurses and other front-line health care providers; and (3) expansion of
partnerships in environmental health expertise. The following are examples of
these site-specific activities and programs.
Old Juncos Sanitary Landfill, Juncos, Puerto Rico
The 11-acre, Old Juncos Sanitary Landfill, an NPL site, contains municipal
wastes and hazardous substances, including industrial thermometers. DHEP
staff helped collect community data and prepare and distribute both English
and Spanish-language fact sheets about the site's exposure pathways and the
parameters of ATSDR's work at the site. The fact sheets were distributed to
community members to inform them about the site and about steps they can
take to protect themselves from exposure.
Kelly Air Force Base, Bexar County, Texas
ATSDR has been involved with the Kelly Air Force Base site since a 1996
petition was received from the late Senator Frank Tejeda to investigate
potential health effects in neighborhoods north and southeast of Kelly. A public
health assessment was conducted, and a multi-disciplinary team was
organized to address the issues at the Kelly Air Force Base site. Working with
the community and local health department, ATSDR conducted the following
four training workshops in FY 1999 to strengthen collaboration efforts and
increase knowledge of hazardous substances in the environment: (1) an 8-hour
workshop for more than 100 nurses and college/university faculty; (2) a 2-hour
grand rounds presentation for more than 80 health care professionals (e.g.,
53
Previous Page
