Washington State Regional CHE (CHE-WA)
The Collaborative on Health and the Environment - Washington State (CHE-WA), established in 2003, is a regional network of over 320 researchers, healthcare providers, health-affected groups, environmental health and justice advocates and other concerned citizens committed to addressing environmental health issues linked to chronic health concerns in the Northwest. Our overarching goal is to promote the cross-pollination of ideas and opportunities between different sectors concerned with environmental contributors to chronic health problems in order to create a safe and healthy future for all those in Washington State and the Northwest. CHE-WA is a state offshoot of CHE National and meets face-to-face four to five times a year. During these meetings, we highlight emerging science in the environmental health field, share information on our respective activities, incubate new ideas and opportunities, and invite CHE Partners to present on a particular environmental health theme. CHE-WA also currently has several working groups: 1. the Precautionary Principle Working Group, which successfully pressed to have precautionary language incorporate into the comprehensives plan for the City of Seattle, is now strategizing to introduce similar language in other localities in Washington State and possibly on the state level; 2. the Health and Environment Links Research Working Group, which released a seminal report in January 2005--an analysis of the data on environmental contributors to chronic health problems and some environmentally attributable health care costs in Washington State, is continuing to collect more data on these links and economic costs; and 3. the Environmental Justice Working Group is developing opportunities to create stronger alliances between environmental justice and environmental health advocates and to instill a broader understanding that environmental health and justice are inherently linked. CHE-WA also supports the emergence of other working groups that promote activities for the benefit all organizational efforts whether in research, education and/or advocacy. In addition, CHE-WA, with support from the Seattle Biotech Legacy Foundation, co-sponsors an annual environmental health lecture series at the Seattle Art Museum, where prominent, national researchers present their latest findings. CHE-WA also has a listserv where new research, upcoming events and policy/regulatory initiatives related to environmental health issues in the Northwest are posted. Though CHE-WA will never speak on behalf of all members nor will it work as a coalition on a specific policy or regulatory issue, members are encouraged to share information on their programs and projects to increase collaboration on relevant initiatives. This group welcomes all individuals and organizations that share CHE's mission and values. For more information, please contact Aimee Boulanger, Program Director of the Institute for Children's Environmental Health and Coordinator of CHE-WA. Or go directly to: http://washington.chenw.org/. If you are interested in joining this group, please sign on as a CHE Partner, and indicate your interest in your application. If you are already a CHE Partner and would like to join the listserv for this group send an email request to: chewa-subscribe@lists.healthandenvironment.org.
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