HAWAII DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH HOLDS CHILDREN’S ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SYMPOSIUM FOR MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS

News Release from DoH Mar 1, 2017

HONOLULU – The Hawaii State Department of Health will hold a symposium focusing on children’s environmental health risks on Saturday, March 11, 2017 at the Ala Moana Hotel. This major event for medical professionals is part of Gov. David Ige’s statewide initiative to address community concerns about chronic exposures to pesticides, Vog, lead, mercury and other environmental hazards affecting our keiki.

“Protecting the health of our keiki is our priority,” said Dr. Virginia Pressler, director of the Hawaii State Department of Health. “We are honored to gather national experts in Honolulu to assist our local medical community in recognizing and addressing environmental hazards that may affect our children’s health.”

The free one-day symposium is made possible by funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and is sponsored by the Hawaii Department of Health and Western States Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit in partnership with EPA Region 9, the University of Hawaii School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, and the John A. Burns School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics.

“This symposium to train Hawaii’s pediatricians and health care professionals is a great example of the support the EPA has been providing for more than 15 years,” said Alexis Strauss, EPA’s Acting Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “As children are more vulnerable to environmental hazards than adults, we want to ensure children and pregnant women receive the best of care.”

The symposium aims to increase knowledge of environmental burdens commonly found in children; how these burdens can impact children’s health and what local professionals can do to address children’s environmental health problems in the communities they work with. The Hawaii Consortium for Continuing Medical Education (HCCME) has approved this training for six continuing medical education credits.

Limited space is available for healthcare professionals (physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners), public health practitioners, and health educators. Register at LINK. For more information, contact Barbara Brooks (808-586-4249) or barbara.brooks@doh.hawaii.gov.

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