1. Crescent Region Collaborative Problem Solving: Building a Coalition to Jointly Address Community-Academic Initiatives for Gulf Coast Environmental and Social Justice Tarase Carter, LPN, Farah A. Arosemena, MPH, & Maureen Y. Lichtveld, MD, MPH Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Department of Global Environmental Health Sciences, New Orleans, LA Innovation To streamline the availability of public health expertise to stakeholders across regions where environmental hazards have created public health risks, the Crescent Region Collaborative (CRC) Coalition formally the Crescent Region Covering Kids & Families Coalition transition into academic. [Figure 1] Next Steps Leveraging all resources available through the Problem-Solving Community Action Tool. Information Sheets : Environmental Health Frequently Asked Questions & What Should I Know About Research in My Community. Strengthened community awareness & community involvement in planning and implementation of public health or environmental programs. Develop introductory public health 101 lesson plans grant writing workshops that can contribute to the economic sustainability of the region. Attendance of 40-60 community based members representing SELA organization to help with dissemination of research findings. Introduction Who we are −Center for Gulf Coast Environmental Health Research, Leadership, and Strategic Initiatives −Crescent Region Collaborative (CRC) Coalition How we are funded −National Institutes of Health, National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIH/NIEHS) −Baton Rouge Area Foundation (BRAF) −Gulf Region Health Outreach Program (GRHOP) Our Broader Programs −Transdisciplinary Research Consortium for Gulf Resilience on Women’s Health (NIH/NIEHS) −Risk and Resilience in Environmental Health (BRAF) −Environmental Health Capacity and Literacy Project (GRHOP) Evaluation The evaluation framework evolved from an emphasis on a collaborative learning process aimed at improving monthly stakeholder meetings and community-based activities. While funding limits the scope of our evaluation methodology, we believe that the following key areas of focus allow us to monitor process and impact (Table 1) - 1.Survey-meeting review, feedback and assessment of knowledge gained. 2.Attendance using the monthly sing-sheet. 3.New membership accrual. 4.Tracking linkages to resources and networks: −Evaluate how well the CRC Coalition is working in terms of identifying the “right” partners, leveraging resources, and strategizing for how to improve the work of the collaborative. −Demonstrate to partners, stakeholders, and funders how the CRC Coalition is progressing over and why working together is making tangible change. Design & Methods Specific Aims −Understand how to foster collaboration among academic faculty and community-based organizations; creating a space here we speak the same language with residents. −Utilize community-engagement coalitions to develop new services and outreach programs that address community needs and enrich learning experiences. −Expand community-based workforce development through introductory public health 101 lesson plans and grant writing workshops that can contribute to the economic sustainability of the region. Community Engagement −A dimension of public participation. −Process of inclusive participation that supports mutual respect of values, strategies, and actions for authentic partnerships. −Academic members to become part of the community and community members to become part of the research team, thereby creating a unique working and learning environment before, during, and after the research. Literature Cited Director's Council of Public Representatives: http://www.nih.gov/ about/copr/index.htm Norris, K.C., Brusuelas, R., Jones, L., Miranda, J., Duru, O.K., and Mangione, C.M. 2007. Partnering with community-based organizations: An academic institution's evolving perspective. Ethn. Dis. 17(Supplement 1):S27-32. Ruiz, Y., Matas, S., Kapadia, S., et al. 2012. Lessons learned from a Community–Academic initiative: The development of a core Competency–Based training for Community–Academic initiative community health workers. American Journal of Public Health. 102(12):2372-2379. Varda, D. 2013. Program to analyze, record, and track networks to enhance relationships. http://www.partnertool.net/. Updated 2011. Accessed November 12, 2013. Wells, K.B., Tang, J., Lizaola, E., et al. 2013. Applying Community Engagement to Disaster Planning: Developing the Vision and Design for the Los Angeles County Community Disaster Resilience Initiative. American Journal of Public Health. 103(7): 1172-1180. Acknowledgements Thank you to the CRCC leadership team (Jauna Crear, Catherine Haywood, Cauline Hurst, Gracie Williams, Mary Crooks, and Joe Carr) who have volunteered their time as community leaders to make the Coalition a success. Additionally, we give thanks to the hundreds of members who attend the monthly meetings, helping us build a network of partners to achieve results and get answers to community concerns and questions. FIGURE 1. Leveraging community-academic partnerships to strengthen Gulf Coast environmental health INSERT PHOTO