This project is proposed by The Rural Coalition, a group that has existed since 1991, and consists of 90 member groups that work in rural areas throughout the nation. For these groups environmental health has been identified as their top priority. The Principal Investigator, Ms. Lorette Picciano-Hanson, is the Executive Director of the Rural Coalition, and the project will be directed by a National Advisory Board, consisting of distinguished environmental scientists, local health care providers and community leaders. The goal of this project is to: (1) develop lasting interdisciplinary relationships among the partners at a national level; (2) develop collaborative problem- solving skills and strategies in two isolated low-income rural communities and local health care providers in collaboration with NIEHS environmental health researchers to identify and mitigate exposure to environmental hazards, and (3) draw upon the experience with these two communities to initiate development of at least 5 additional projects. The investigation uses co-education to build competency, understanding and trust in tripartite relationships among the three diverse groups on the National Advisory Board. There are two focus communities of this project one is a rural African-American community in Sumter County, Alabama. This community has the largest hazardous waste dump in the U.S., a wood products factory and a trucking factory which transport wood products and chemical wastes. Health problems, such as high rates of spontaneous abortions, are believed by the community to be related to these sources, but no health study has been done. Off the record, local health care providers express concern that environmental pollution may be the cause of some morbidity and mortality. The other project, initiated by the Sin Fronteras Organizing Project in El Paso, Texas, builds on a previous collaboration within the farm worker community. Sin Fronteras has worked for over 10 years with 14,000 farm workers who labor in the chili industry in West Texas and southern New Mexico. Annual family income is less the $6,000, mean education is less than 6th grade, and most do not speak English, many being illegal immigrants. These workers are subject to exploitation for employment. The industry uses very toxic pesticides, and Sin Fronteras has been participating in efforts to provide information to workers about pesticide poisoning and how it can be avoided. In both communities a local advisory board will be formed which will design and implement specific techniques to identify and mitigate particular exposures. The experiences of the communities will be reviewed by the national board and shared with many more rural communities who suspect environmental pollution as a source of health problems, and express interest in the same process. The Rural Coalition Assembly will build competency in assessment and health and safety strategies through annual training of leaders from all communities. Model projects and the advisory board will share progress, perceptions and strategies with other interested communities, scientists, and providers in a third year symposium. The board will help the Coalition match additional communities with scientists and providers for preliminary assessment of chemical or physical agents, the health outcomes and developing strategies to intervene. Evaluation focuses on outcomes of the model projects, levels of competency and trust developed at all levels, the strength and ongoing nature of tripartite relationships developed through national networking, and the number of communities where new projects are initiated among scientists and providers with specific skills pertinent to that community.
