New science shows that exposure to toxins prenatally or early in life can have a devastating and lifelong effect on the developing architecture of the brain. Exposures to many chemicals have much more severe consequences for embryos, fetuses, and young children, whose brains are still developing, than for adults. Substances that can have a truly…

Countries around the world have achieved huge gains in primary education, reaching a world average of 83.8 percent in net primary enrollment. However, large numbers of students still do not complete primary education, and even fewer continue on to secondary school. Since so few children complete primary school, those who do must be able to…

Micronutrient malnutrition (MM) is a global health problem that affects the national socioeconomic stability of an affected country. This article describes a multimedia training tool, the Micronutrient Action Plan instructional tool (MAPit), which has been designed to support public health professionals' efforts to eliminate MM. An overview and…

This article describes how the Visiting Moms Program in Chelsea, Massachusetts, has taken the paraprofessional model one step further to respond to the needs of refugee and immigrant new mothers, by employing paraprofessional home visitors who are also immigrants or refugees themselves from countries in Central America, South America, and…

This Final Report prepared by the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives offers an account of President George W. Bush's Faith-Based and Community Initiative (FBCI) to the faith-based and other community organizations (FBCOs) that have joined in the battles against poverty, disease, and other social ills. The report emphasizes…

This study examined one method of delivering care to underserved children: school-based health centers (SBHCs). These centers, located on school grounds, can provide preventative, medical and mental health services to children of that school. Results of the study suggest that SBHCs do improve children's access to health care. SBHCs can help to…

In an effort to help community colleges develop and implement programs that promote community health, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) held a teleconference in April 1996 focusing on service learning and HIV/AIDS prevention. This two-part document provides the teleconference program and a transcript of remarks made during the…

This 12-section course is designed to explain the responsibilities of an incident commander at the scene of a Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) transportation incident. It was created for the U.S. Department of Energy WIPP located near Carlsbad, New Mexico, which receives radioactive shipments. The course has two purposes: (1) to provide first…

Georgia Southern University (GSU) and Bulloch Memorial Hospital (BMH) undertook a joint project to enhance education services to students, professionals, and the community at large. University services of the College of Education and the Henderson Library were aligned with the educational services of Bulloch Memorial Hospital to provide resources…

This article describes the unique role of America's community colleges and the way they relate to academic health centers and community health needs. It discusses how community colleges benefit underserved communities. As open-door institutions, they provide academic opportunities for those who would not normally be able to have higher education.…

Several interested organizations and agencies completed an exploration of the complexities and challenges affecting the communication of health information through the mass media. The goal of this effort was to create a shared agenda for increasing cooperation between mass media and public health professionals in addressing the issues, problems,…

This guide provides information on eye safety and aids educators, administrators, and supervisors in the development and implementation of eye safety programs. The American National Standards Institute (AMSI) requirements for both street and safety glasses; essential eyewear for safety in hazardous areas; the National Society to Prevent…

The theme of this serial issue is helping individuals involved in community health programs at the local level to devise and apply a protocol for the evaluation of a community health program. In the opening sections of the issue evaluation is defined, the difference between a direct quantifying measure and an indicator is clarified, obstacles to…

This report has been published in two volumes (combined here). Volume One (162 pages) is a summary report, repeating part 1 of the complete report, selected appendices, and the index to the list of objectives. Volume Two (700 pages) is the complete report, including all appendices. This report provides a strategy for significantly improving the…

India suffers from severe environmental problems with respect to deforestation, flooding, and pollution. These problems are associated with industrialization, lack of money to enforce anti-pollution practices, climatic and population pressures, and cultural factors. Half of India's forests have been cut in the last 40 years. Deforestation is the…