The HBCU Environmental Information Outreach Project
In 1987, a national study illuminated the location of toxic waste dump sites in close proximity to minority communities throughout the United States. Over the next few years, increasing attention was placed on the adverse effects of environmental hazards on minority and socio-economically deprived communities. An urgent need exists for environmental information to be readily accessible to health professionals serving these communities.
The National Library of Medicine and the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) identified Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) as a good avenue to reach those serving the minority and socio-economically deprived communities. In the early 1990's, NLM and ORISE began to train those health professionals in the use of the toxicological, environmental, occupational, and hazardous waste-related information resources available through NLM.
Nine HBCUs from across the country participated in the successful pilot program. The program has continued to expand, involving the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) / Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as additional Minority Education Institutions (MEIs). Twenty of our nation's minority institutions, including Hispanic-Serving Institutions and Tribal Colleges and Universities, are involved. The focus has also broadened and is now known as the Environmental Health Information Outreach Program (EnHIOP).
The EnHIOP Panel
In 1991 NLM established a panel of representatives from nine HBCUs and experts in the fields of toxicology, environmental health, and instructional technology to oversee the development of a pilot training program. The mission of EnHIOP is to develop strategies to better enhance the capability of HBCUs to use the toxicological, environmental, and occupational health resources developed by the NLM.
The twenty current members of the EnHIOP panel are listed below. Those with an asterisk(*) were the nine original members.
- Benedict College (added in 2004)
- California State University, Northridge (added in 2004)
- Dine College (added in 2004)
- * Charles R. Drew University School of Medicine & Science
- * Florida A & M University
- Hampton University (added in 1998)
- Haskell Indian Nations University (added in 2004)
- * Howard University
- Jackson State University (added in 2004)
- Medgar Evers College, CUNY (added in 2004)
- * Meharry Medical College
- * Morehouse School of Medicine
- Oglala Lakota College (added in 2000)
- Southern University and A&M College (added in 2004)
- * Texas Southern University
- * Tuskegee University
- * University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff
- University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus (added in 2000)
- University of Texas at El Paso (added in 2004)
- * Xavier University of Louisiana
The Panel now meets semi-annually and continues to provide direction to ensure that the mission and goals of the program are met.
The Training
During the pilot program, PC-based multi-media workstations were established at the participating institutions. These workstations contained instructional software as well as access tools for NLM’s information resources.
Printed reference and lecture materials were also provided to assist instructors in developing classroom presentations. Train-the-trainer classes were conducted by ORISE in Oak Ridge, Tenn, to thoroughly prepare each institution to effectively instruct faculty, staff, and community health professionals in the use of the NLM's toxicology-related databases.