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Reproductive Health and the Environment 2010. A follow-up to the Los Angeles County Women’s Health Summit, 2007 Setting Short-term, Achievable Goals in the Area of Women’s Health and the Environment.
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Reproductive Health and the Environment 2010 A follow-up to the Los Angeles County Women’s Health Summit, 2007 Setting Short-term, Achievable Goals in the Area of Women’s Health and the Environment
The 2007 Los Angeles County Women’s Health Summit identified reproductive health and the environment as a priority area in women’s health for L.A. County.
An invitation only “Convening of Experts” was held January 26, 2010 at the California Endowment’s Center for Healthy Communities to define short-term goals and objectives. Approx. 90 individuals representing the areas of advocacy, academic research, public policy, and community education attended.
Research Community Advocacy Policy Short-term goals to be achieved within three years include:
RESEARCH • Use existing resources to investigate the effect of toxins on the reproductive health of the women of L.A. County • Use existing surveys to investigate the effects of toxic exposures on women’s health. • Institute geo-coding to track areas where women’s reproductive health is affected • Identify knowledge gaps related to women’s reproductive health and the environment amongst researchers and health care providers, and deliver education and training programs
COMMUNITY ADVOCACY • Provide for existing community advocacy programs, promote education of stakeholders, and encourage “green purchasing” by government entitiesas an economic strategy to reduce environmental toxins • Support existing initiatives and build educational programs for families, communities, policy makers, and elected officials • Implement advocacy strategies which encourage local governments and school districts to adopt green purchasing • Encourage the development of economic empowerment zones that support clean technologies in businesses.
COMMUNITY ADVOCACY • Determine methods and procedures for • Regulating and enforcing workers rights to be protected from toxins • Encouraging the use of safer products in the work environment • Ensuring that the use of safer alternatives does not adversely impact working conditions.
POLICY • Use research and community advocacy to educate policy makers in “win-win” strategies to avoid and/or minimize exposing our communities to toxins • Promote knowledge and enforcement of Proposition 65 (The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986) which instituted a ranking system of chemicals and products from those that “do no harm” to those identified as “very toxic.” • Work to educate city planners, manufacturers, distributors, etc. about “green policies”. • Determine how to reword and realign messages that convey environmental risks to inspire activism.
Research Community Advocacy Policy Short-term goals to be achieved within three years include: