Community Engagement in Brownfields Work

Patrice Barrett, MPHOctober 19, 2016

Presented for CT Dept. of PH Environmental and Occupational Health Assessment Unit

Today’s Presentation

My background & recent project

Doing the best for citizens (not “politics”)

Community engagement basics

Stakeholder roles

“Not the usual” community engagement methods

Educate (quite a job…)

If residents do not engage – then what ? Still success

What we would do different

Public health in city planning

Health Impact Assessment (HIA) -assessing health impacts of policies, plans and projects in diverse economic sectors using quantitative, qualitative and participatory techniques.

The residents will tell you what they want and need

Engage them where they are !

Our study area

Recent project – Middletown on the Move

Middletown CDC/ATSDR Brownfield Reuse planning & outreach one year grant for new community green space

Really about 8 months

Meg Harvey and Kenny Foscueparticipated in our work

No construction – engage and educate the community only

Focus on 3 central census tracts with most brownfields

Consultant group for branding, designing expertise, web site, public forums, fresh perspective(Horsley Witten Group in Providence chosen on an RFP)

http://www.middletownctonthemove.com/.

Had a 4 step Action Model to follow

Pedestrian counter

Doing what is best for residents -

Know the issues:

Data research & quality of life

Data to decide health education topics/community needs

Time consuming to research the population’s health status

Quality of life – Neighborhood Improvement Survey at start

3600 distributed by mail, in schools, organizations, online – 908 answered

Unfortunately no demographics in it

People will answer and comment if anonymous -

Why scrutinize SES data ?

SES portrait different throughout city: who really lives there ?

Grant focus area:

Densely populated

Mixed business/residential use

Minimal green space

Infrastructure issues (prevent safe pedestrian use)

Little interest in city projects (lower income, poorer housing quality made more important issues)

And the usual – obesity, asthma, child lead testing, other issues leading to disease

Data from US Census, American

Communities section, 2015

Quality of life neighborhood survey at grant start - insightful and set the stage

#1 issue speeding carsLess than 25% of people used city parks – in bad shape

Stakeholders

Include all community sectors

(almost had all of them)

Invaluable - provide insight and wisdom

Help navigate the rough spots

Understand what the data do not show

Become part of their work also !

Citizen engagement may not be part of the fabric in your town – need to work on it/teach

Middletown Disability

Committee Middletown PH Dept.

State of CT DPH

Wesleyan University

Senior Citizens

Community Health Center

North End Action Team

CT DEEPMiddletown PCD

Opportunity Knocks Birth

to 3

Middlesex Coalition

for Children

Mayor's Youth

Cabinet

Recreation Dept.

ProHealthObesity

prevention

YMCA

Stakeholder committee for

CDC/ATSDR brownfields grant

Public health education

Planners do property research and planning –

Public health educates:

What is a brownfield ? (huge task)

Exposures & pathways

Exposure = possible disease. Little physical activity = obesity, diabetes. OR risky exposure (kids and lead, hands in mouth with soil)

Chronic health disease impacts

How to advocate for issues important to you and your neighborhood peers….

-Local newspapers-Local blogs-Community

presentations

What is a brownfield ?Explaining is no easy task -

Can do little else until the concept is understood

Forget definitions ATSDR gives (“property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated ..)

> 200 potential parcels in Middletown

Try: “CVS or hospital is a potential site because their underground fuel tanks may leak.”

You pass them every day - describe a prominent one

House before 1978 – lead paint in soil

Engagement: a multi-faceted endeavor

PhotoVoice with CHC Americorps

Outcomes

Many residents got their soil tested

Consultant site designs based on resident

dialogues

Residents saw areas they never knew(where ?)

Met people they did not know

Stakeholder coalitions got more interest

Accelerator grant with Wesleyan

Not as successful as we wanted

WHY ?

Before

After

ThanksContact information

Thank you for listening

Look at our project website – it has more info

Contact:

PatriceBarrettMPH@gmail.com

My LinkedIn profile