Connecting the Dots: Health, Housing, and the Community Context
Presented by: Comprehensive Health Education Foundation, The Seattle Foundation, Enterprise Community Partners and The Bullitt Foundation
September 14, 2010
11:30 am - 1:30 pm
American Lung Association in Washington
2625 Third Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121
To register, contact Philanthropy Northwest
Where and how one lives can have a profound impact on family stability, children’s developmental and educational outcomes, and long-term health. Healthy housing is critical, but equally important are the other environmental factors at play. Where someone works, goes to school, and lives matters, as it determines the kind of built, social, and ecological environments they are exposed to.
We invite funders with an interest in housing, children and families, education and learning, health, environment , and/or community partnerships to participate in an engaging and provocative discussion with Dr. Steven Gilbert PhD; Director and Founder of the Institute of Neurotoxicology and Neurological Disorders (INND), Seattle, Dr. Cathy Jordan, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology and Director of the Children, Youth, and Family Consortium at the University of Minnesota, and Sue Gunderson, Executive Director CLEARCorps USA. Our panel of experts will provide compelling evidence about the need to view the family in the context of the home and the home in the context of the family. What this means for funders is a new way of thinking about health, housing, families, and the environment—one which does not view them as separate fields of focus, but as connected to each other.
Dr. Cathy Jordan’s research explores community context and its profound influence on children, both in terms of health and educational success. Environmental stresses are carried with young children as they enter school, affecting both their ability to learn and potentially to their overall health down the road. Common root factors may influence both education and health. According to Steven Gilbert, “the proportion of environmentally-induced learning and developmental disabilities is a question of profound human, scientific, and public policy significance, and has implications for individuals, families, school systems, communities, and the future of our society. The bottom line is it is our ethical responsibility to ensure all children have a healthy future.” Sue Gunderson, believes that family-centered services are the most effective approach to addressing environmental health threats — interventions must consider the family, home, and community environments in relationship to each other. Her organization, CLEARCorps USA, works in partnership with communities (including Seattle) to raise awareness about children’s environmental health issues, identify contributing factors, and help find solutions.
