News

Border 2012 Environmental Health Work Group 2007 Annual Meeting

Tuesday, May 22, 2007, from 8:30am – 3:00pm, followed that afternoon by the beginning of Border 2012 National Coordinators Meeting.

View the agenda and download presentations

Information on the National Coordinators Meeting may be found at:
www.usmexicoborder2012.org/ncm/begin.htm

Meeting was held at:
Hyatt Regency San Antonio
123 Losoya St.
San Antonio, Texas 78205
(210)222-1234

Identifying Border-wide Environmental Health Priorities for 2007 and Beyond

Following discussions at the EHWG annual meeting and the 2006 National Coordinators meeting, the EHWG has undertaken an initiative to identify specific priorities and focus areas for future environmental health work on the US-Mexico border. Teams are being set up in the areas of air, water, and pesticides to provide recommendations. If you are interested in joining one of the teams, please e-mail Rebecca Daniels (Daniels.Rebecca@epa.gov)

View the charge given to the teams (pdf, 2 pp, 58 kb)

New Web Site Launched on U.S.-Mexico Border Health Issues

Federal health officials launched a new web-based resource for residents along the U.S.-Mexico border and others seeking information on health and human services for border communities. Continue Article >>

Environmental Health Indicators Request for Proposals

The EHWG has partnered with PAHO and CDC to release a Request for Proposals to validate environmental health indicators. Proposals should address the focus areas outlined in the application. The application can be accessed at the Pan American Health Association Web site.

Indicator Development

The EHWG, along with the Border Indicators Task Force (BITF) and other partners, has created a strategic document to guide the development of indicators under Border 2012. This document and the preliminary list of indicators can be found on the Measuring Conditions and Progress Web site. In an effort to create environmental public health indicators for Border, the EHWG has set up two teams (air and water) of local and federal representatives who will propose indicators that are consistent with the strategic document. For information on the Air Team please contact Raquel Sabogal, and for information on the water team please contact George Luber.

View the charge given to each team (PDF, 2 pp, 16 KB, About PDF)
View and download the Strategic Indicator Development Documents

Click here for the task assignment for creating the air database inventory (PDF, 3 pp, 24 KB, About PDF)
Click here for the task assignment for creating the water database inventory (PDF, 3 pp, 26 KB, About PDF)

EHWG Co-presents at the US-Mexico Border Health Organization Annual Meeting

On June 22, 2005, representatives of the Environmental Health Workgroup and the Border Indicators Task Force presented the Border 2012 program's current work on developing environmental health indicators at the USMBHA annual meeting in Laredo, TX. Download the presentation (PDF, 15 pp, 178 KB, About PDF) English only.

New Online Risk Communication Course in Spanish, English, and Portuguese

A web-based risk communication course has been developed by Ana Rosa Morena of the United States-Mexico Foundation for Science (FUMEC), with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and in collaboration with the United States' Centers for Disease Control & Prevention/Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (CDC/ATSDR). By describing strategies and procedures for effective risk communication, the course is intended to develop the user's skills in order to allow her to create communication plans with the target population and obtain an operational and sustainable vision of risk communication. This course is available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese through the World Health Organization (WHO)/PAHO Virtual Toxicology Library at this Web site: http://www.cepis.ops-oms.org/tutorial6/e/index.html

Good Neighbor Environmental Board (GNEB) "Round Up" Newsletter

The February 2005 edition of the Good Neighbor Environmental Board "Round Up" newsletter has been released and posted to the GNEB website.

Alliance with US - Mexico Border Health Commission

The Border 2012 program has formed an alliance with United States-Mexico Border Health Commission (USMBHC) to share the common focus of improving binational environmental health. Under this alliance, the EHWG will serve as the liaison between the two groups, providing technical support for the USMBHC and giving Border 2012 a stronger partnership with local health representatives.

Partnership with Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)

By partnering with PAHO, the EHWG was able to create a Request for Applications (RFA) that solicits projects specifically relating to environmental health indicators. Projects that are accepted will serve as the initial steps in developing binational indicators. The RFA deadline was November 2004. A subsequent RFA is expected to be created in early 2005.