Northwest Children's Environmental Health Forums

CHE-Washington presented forums in 2009, 2011 and 2013. Information is presented here in reverse order.

2013: Healthy Environments for Healthy Babies:
Preventing Harmful Environmental Exposures Before and During Pregnancy

CHE-WA's Children's Environmental Health Working Group was thrilled to host its third biennial Northwest Children's Environmental Health Forum on December 4, 2013, in Tukwila, Washington. A diverse audience participated from the public health, community health outreach, early childhood education, nursing, clinical practice, academic and government sectors. The goal of the event was to empower the individuals and organizations in this broad coalition to leverage new knowledge and connections to work toward creating healthy environments for healthy babies. Forty nurses attended the event and received nursing credits. Attendees received a resource guide for children's environmental health.

A panel of national and local speakers spoke 'interview style' on both the underlying science of reproductive health and emerging issues. The MC created frequent opportunities for audience participation, and attendee comments were overwhelmingly positive.

The different perspectives helped to frame the many issues surrounding toxics and health—will use information in messaging to public and building connections.

I will be able to incorporate a lot of information in patient care and community outreach efforts. It's wonderful to have new connections/resources.

We're looking at starting a new program with a focus on small children. Just being here today helped me think through our next steps.

I work with pregnant women and their babies. I will be able to better explain hazardous household chemicals, reduce risks from pesticides, possible harmful links between chemicals and other harmful substances and their possible health effects.

Program

See the five-video playlist or watch one part at a time.

Title	Speakers
Part 1—Opening and Welcome An introduction to the Washington Chapter of the Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE-WA) and the CHE-WA Children's Environmental Health Working Group Video 10:00 minutes, 22 MB	MC: Margo Young, EPA Region 10 Aimee Boulanger, Collaborative on Health and the Environment-Washington Gail Gensler, Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County
Part 2—Reproductive Health 101 The science of human fertility, conception and fetal development Video 1:27:01, 1.05 GB Dr. Ted Schettler's slides Dr. Susan Buchanan's slides	Moderator: Elise Miller, Collaborative on Health and the Environment Ted Schettler, MD, MPH, Science and Environmental Health Network Susan Buchanan, MD, MPH, University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Public Health Karin Gunther Russ, MS, RN, Fertility and Reproductive Health Working Group, Collaborative on Health and the Environment Sheela Sathyanarayana, MD, MPH, University of Washington Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Kim Harley, PhD, Center for Environmental Research and Children's Health, UC Berkeley
Part 3—Cumulative Exposures Cumulative Impacts to Health How stress, nutrition, poverty and chemical exposures work together to impact reproductive health and the developing child Video 1:19:15, 1.57 GB Dr. Ted Schettler's slides	Moderator: Elise Miller, Collaborative on Health and the Environment Ted Schettler, MD, MPH, Science and Environmental Health Network Peggy Shepard, WE ACT for Environmental Justice Emma Medicine White Crow, WA Governor's Interagency Committee on Health Disparities Kim Harley, PhD, Center for Environmental Research and Children's Health, UC Berkeley
Part 4—Effective Action Case studies of exciting new efforts to protect reproductive health Video 1:06:35, 1.63 GB	Moderator: Heather Trim, Science & Policy Director, Futurewise Robert Gould, MD, UCSF Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment Laurie Valeriano, Washington Toxics Coalition Toni Marthaller-Andersen, MSN, Women to Wellness, Whidbey Island Peggy Shepard, Executive Director, WE ACT for Environmental Justice Corey Colwell-Lipson, Psychotherapist for Women and Couples Holly Davies, PhD, WA Department of Ecology Susan Buchanan, MD, MPH, University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Public Health
Part 5—Emerging Science, Hot Topics: Reason for Alarm? What do we know? How best to practice the precautionary principle? Includes a look at electromagnetic fields, nanoparticles, obesogens, Fukushima aftermath, and endocrine disruptors. Video 1:03:42 1.56 GB	Moderator: Aimee Boulanger, Children's Environmental Health Working Group—Washington Steven Gilbert, PhD, Institute for Neurotoxicology and Neurological Development Elise Miller, MEd, Director, Collaborative on Health and the Environment Ted Schettler, MD, MPH, Science Director of the Science and Environmental Health Network Robert Gould, MD, UCSF Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment Kim Harley, PhD, Center for Environmental Research and Children's Health, UC Berkeley Karin Gunther Russ, MS, RN, Fertility and Reproductive Health Working Group, Collaborative on Health and the Environment

Steering Committee

Aimee Boulanger, Collaborative on Health and the Environment—Washington
Karen Bowman, Karen Bowman & Associates Inc.
Holly Davies, Washington State Department of Ecology
Carolyn Gleason, US Department of Health and Human Services/Health Resources and Services Administration
Gail Gensler, Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County
Steve Gilbert, Institute of Neurotoxicology and Neurological Disorders
Sonia Hoglander, HomEvolution
Rachel Koller, Healthy Home Focus
Kristina Larson, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
Gretchen Stewart, Environmental Protection Agency
Nicole Thomsen, Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County
Heather Trim, Futurewise
Dennis Weaver, Change Your Food—Change Your Life!™
Margo Young, Environmental Protection Agency

2011: A Children's Environmental Health Forum
"Stepping It Up Together"

Date: Tuesday, November 29, 2011, 8:30am-12:00pm
Location: Women's University Club, 1105 Sixth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101

CHE-WA's Working Group on Children's Environmental Health hosted its Northwest Children's Environmental Health Forum November 29, 2011, at the Women's University Club in Seattle, Washington. This year's theme, "Stepping It Up Together" was designed to encourage and increase new opportunities for cross collaboration and to engage with partners who share the mission of protecting children's health. A panel of children's health leaders answered questions and modeled suggestions on how we can Step Up to meet today's challenges. Group sessions provided time to align critical priorities, with take-way action steps, to further define how working together will advance the accomplishment of mutual goals.

Dr. Howard Frumkin, Dean of the School of Public Health at the University of Washington, set the stage as this year's keynote speaker. He shared new insights on the enormity of factors that influence children's health, the overlapping missions of various organizations and agencies, and the importance of partnership building in addressing today's children's environmental health issues.

Other highlights:

• A special Showcase of Children's Health Programs anchored this year's event allowing us to share in a celebration of accomplishments. We previewed exciting new innovations and met the people making them happen.
• Work in small groups, networking with new people to refine and align priorities and establish new ways to partner to advance children's health.

2009 Forum

• Forum program