The Little Hocking That Could: Empowering a Community Through CBPR

1. The Little Hocking That Could: Empowering a Community Through CBPR Intro to “Community First” Communications Model: A Vital Aspect of Encuentro & CBPR University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX November 30, 2009 Edward A Emmett MD University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

2. The Little Hocking that Could: Described Community Exposure to PFOA in Little Hocking, OhioDevelopment of EJ Partnership, formulation of aims, obtaining R25 grantCBPR study & findings Development of Communication Strategy: Guiding Principles, Prioritized Targets, Methods for Communication of Results Evaluation of Communications

3. The Little Hocking that Could: Described (cont) Resultant Community Empowerment & the “Free Market of Solutions” Free bottled water Residents adopt a variety of consent agreements – EPA and polluting facility incorporate into policy – drinking water All parties acted “prudently,” but in a variety of waysScientific PublicationThe Paradigm Shift – from Trickle Down Results to “Community First”

4. UTMB Health Policy Lecture Series • Intended to generate campus discussion on health policy issues, including community collaboration • “Reverse outreach”; outreach to academic campus • Participants: faculty and students; CTSA (ethics and community outreach key resources); researchers; GICRAC (Galveston Island Community Research Advisory Council) • Underlying goal to introduce Dr Emmet’s model of ethical communication principles to Galveston community • Currently continuing pursuit…..

5. 2011 Public Health Policy Talk - Thematic Focus “Community-First Communication in CBPR” Dr. Edward Emmett and Rev. Dr Horace Strand • At UTMB: Audience from Health Policy Faculty & Students, CTSA, Ethics Key Resource, IRB, GICRAC (Galveston Community Research Advisory Committee). • Emphasized: • Roles of motivation and persuasive messages in reducing environmental hazards through regulation and voluntary decisions • Role of community in developing communication strategies • Community and individual empowerment through receipt of biomonitoring results. • “Free-Market of solutions” at community level and through informed individual decision-making • Discussion focused on the way to stimulate the role of ethical communications with GICs

6. Encuentro 2011 Keynote Address Edward Emmett, MD & Rev. Horace Strand, DD"Evolution from Adversarial to Collaborative Decision-Making" Emphasized: The development of the struggle to achieve Environmental Justice in Chester PA Chester, a prototypical EJ community Early struggles and successful adversarial actions (including 1996 US Supreme Court case) with modest real changes in conditions The Chester Environmental Partnership, a collaborative approach, 2006 to present

7. Chester Environmental Partnership Rationale – multiple complex environmental health problems require widespread participation/disciplines/ agencies to develop and implement successful solutions The complementary roles of data/science and the community “feeling the pain and seeking a better future.”“The Physician and the Preacher.” Successes from the collaborative approach. Transforming science through community relationships. Shared objective with UTMB