GBPSR and sister chapter San Francisco Bay Area PSR have teamed up on an exciting new project that will bring practical tools on preventing exposures to toxic chemicals to pediatric and family care practices around the country. The Pediatric Environmental Health Toolkit includes laminated desk and pocket reference guides for providers, and patient handouts including "Prescription for Prevention" sheets and refrigerator magnets.

We are pleased to have a distinguished group of pediatricians involved in the planning, development, and oversight group. They are Guenter Hofstadler MD, Brian Linde MD, Mark Miller MD MPH, Lisa Asta MD, Siobhan McNally MD, and David Wallinga MD MPA. Maria Valenti, GBPSR Program Director, Michelle Gottlieb MEM of GBPSR, and SF Bay's Program Director Julie Silas JD are the East and West Coast PSR project staff.

The Toolkit materials have been piloted at 17 pediatric and family practices in Massachusetts and California. The 6-month pilot phase concluded in February 2005, and findings are currently being evaluated.

Join us at the following upcoming conferences for presentations on the Toolkit and the pilot study results:

• October 28-30, 2005 - Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) North East Region Meeting at the Hershey Lodge & Convention Center, Hershey, PA. http://stfm.org/calendar/cal_regional.htm

• November 4-6, 2005 - National Training Institute Zero to Three's Annual Conference at the Washington Hilton, Washington, D.C. http://www.zerotothree.org/nti

• November 5-9, 2005 - American Public Health Association Annual Meeting at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, LA. http://www.apha.org/meetings/

• November 16, 2005 - Boston Children's Hospital, Advances in Pediatric Healthcare at the Sheraton Hotel, Braintree, MA.

• November 17-20, 2005 - Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM) and American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Conference on Patient Education at Hilton Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, FL. http://stfm.org/calendar/cal_pe.htm

For more information on the presentations at these and other conferences, please contact psrmabo@igc.org.

Included in the Toolkit are:

For Providers:

• A 2-sided, laminated provider desk reference card that includes brief summaries of major toxicants and their potential health effects;
• A 2-sided, laminated pocket reference card containing priority anticipatory guidance keyed to specific developmental stages to use during well-child visits;
• A background document Key Concepts in Pediatric Environmental Health;
• A guide to environment and health resources on the Internet. 

For more detailed information for clinicians, see the following resource:

"Pediatric Environmental Health - 2nd Edition," American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Environmental Health
Edited by Ruth A. Etzel, MD, PhD and Associate Editor: Sophie J. Balk, MD
http://www.aap.org/bst/showdetl.cfm?&DID=15&Product_ID=1697

For Patients:

Healthy Environment, Healthy Child Resources for Parents

In addition to the patient educational materials handed out by health care providers ("Rx for Prevention" slips, and magnets with "Tips for Prevention," pictured below), the following are resources for parents that can be accessed on this website:

• Healthy Environment, Healthy Child Resources for Parents

• Downloadable "Out of Harm's Way" fact sheets including:

  • Creating a Healthy Environment for Your Child's Development advises patients on simple steps to protect children from toxic threats to brain development.
    • English version
    • Spanish version
  • Why Breast-Feeding is Still Best for Baby addresses the risks and benefits of both breast-feeding and formula feeding.
    • English version
    • Spanish version

Many thanks to the Bauman Foundation, the Mitchell Kapor Foundation, and the Alida R. Messinger Charitable Lead Trust for funding the development of this project, and The John Merck Fund for a two-year grant to finalize materials and conduct pilot testing and evaluation. We are currently seeking funding to complete the pilot phase and evaluation and prepare additional materials.