1 Leyla Erk McCurdy The National Environmental Education & Training Foundation 1707 H Street NW, Suite 900 Washington DC

2

3 An initiative of The National Environmental Education & Training Foundation (NEETF) and the U.S. EPA in collaboration with the U.S. Departments of Health & Human Services, Agriculture, and Labor National Strategies for Health Care Providers: Pesticides Initiative

4 The Initiative is a long-term effort involving a wide range of stakeholders. aims to improve the recognition, management and prevention of health effects from pesticide exposures. uses a three-prong strategy targeting educational settings, practice settings, and informational resources and tools to educate HCP’s. is set in the broader context of environmental health. Initiative’s Vision

5 Target Audience Primary HCP’s: Physicians Nurses Nurse Practitioners Physician Assistants Nurse Midwives Community Health Workers Decision-making Bodies, such as: Professional Associations Curriculum Committees Accrediting Institutions Faculty and Administrators Residency Review Committees Institutions Governing Health Care Practice and Requirements

6 National Forum June in Washington, DC Sponsored by USEPA, US DHHS, USDOL, USDA, NEETF Cosponsors: American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association of Colleges of Nursing, American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, Association of Academic Health Centers, Migrant Clinicians Network, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Supporters: American Medical Association and Association of American Medical Colleges

7 National Forum Participants Over 100 leaders in medicine, nursing, and environmental health, including: Physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, pesticide safety educators Representatives of professional associations, academic institutions,federal and state agencies Public health organizations

8 Build national consensus and gain support to implement the Initiative Secure commitments to influence professional associations, decision-making bodies, academic institutions, and practice settings to integrate pesticide content Create national partnership to develop action agenda to institutionalize integration of environmental health into health care National Forum Goals

9 Build support for replicating the pesticide model for other environmental issues Raise awareness among large group of stakeholders Lead to an increase of partnerships Lead to an increase in use of the available resources/tools National Forum Goals

10 National Forum Structure Planning summit for executing the strategies and recommendations of Initiative’s implementation Presentations of Initiative’s priority projects 3 workgroups (educational settings, practice settings, and resources and tools) developing action plans to move the Initiative forward Report out of action plans and commitments

11 National Forum Outcomes Educational Settings: Short-Term Goals: develop position statement on EH and HCP’s; establish faculty champions; incorporate workshops on the Initiative into national and regional meetings Long-Term Goals: secure occ./env. curriculum in every nursing and medical school; ensure all nursing and medical graduates have competencies, including taking environmental history Commitments: present position statement and competency guidelines for medical & nursing education for organizational endorsement; place Initiative materials on organization’s websites

12 National Forum Outcomes Practice Settings: Short-Term Goals: conduct education campaigns to raise awareness; recruit additional opinion leaders; create basic environmental history questions Long-Term Goals: educate current and incoming HCPs, ensure all HCPs perform environmental history Commitments: present practice skills guidelines for medical & nursing practice for organizational endorsement; integrate sessions on Initiative into national and regional meetings

13 National Forum Outcomes Resources and Tools Short-Term Goals: complete Initiative’s Internet Gateway project; find immediate high-profile home/linkages Long-Term Goals: maintain Gateway as a credible, dynamic website; provide inventory of mandatory state requirements Commitments: coordinate development of state-specific reporting database; review Initiative’s current inventory of resources and assist with providing additional resources; assist with development and implementation of distribution/outreach strategy

14 National Forum Outcomes Forum built consensus and helped identify strategic next steps for a common national vision for environmental health outreach to HCP’s; secured endorsement from key stakeholders; and built a nationwide network of HCP’s committed to incorporating pesticides and environmental health into primary care. Forum Proceedings Six-month follow up

15 National Forum Outcomes Position statement on environmental health and health care providers Presentation of the Initiative at key conferences Endorsement of the National Pesticide Guidelines for Medical & Nursing Education and Practice Environmental Exposure History Educational Campaign

16 How You Can Help Have your organization endorse the health professional and environmental health position statement Have your organization endorse the National Competency and Practice Skills Guidelines and support their adoption Provide forum at your organization’s conferences, promote Intiative’s tools to your constituents

17 Initiative’s Expected Outcomes By 2010: Education and practice settings have integrated a set of educational competencies and practice skills endorsed by professional associations, decision-making bodies, and academic institutions. Tools and resources are easily located in leading sources of information for the health care community and being used by HCP’s to recognize, manage, and prevent health effects from pesticides/environmental exposures. Initiative’s model has been replicated for integrating other environmental health issues into health care provider education and practice.