National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Funds Stage II for Development of the Texas Connection for Children's Environmental Health (TCCEH)

The Texas Connection on Children's Environmental Health will address the critical need to bring the leadership of corporations and organizations together to find solutions for protecting the health of children by preventing their exposure to environmental contaminants. Educational initiatives will be focused on how to decrease known and suspected environmentally-related childhood diseases. Membership benefits in TCCEH will include access to current evidence-based information, linkage to network participants, and training opportunities. CEHI will offer a framework designed to navigate members through current and emerging threats to the health and well-being of children from exposure to every day toxins in their environment.

Texas Connection for Children's Environmental Health will:

1. Serve as an interactive membership based central clearinghouse for health information on children's exposure to environmental toxins.
2. Encourage and assist businesses and organizations to become proactive in providing a healthier environment for children.
3. Provide current evidence-based information and research findings. Businesses and organizations will be recruited to receive education and consultation services as participants in the initial site(s) for the TCCEH demonstration model.
4. Promote members to adopt a precautionary principle in their business practices.
5. Develop and integrate a membership database with the CEHI website.
6. Host a biennial forum and recognition awards ceremony (planned by the Liaison Advisory Group)
7. Provide an opportunity for diverse organizations to interact in a safe, non-threatening, non-regulatory, non-litigious environment.

Liaison Advisory Group and Sector Membership:

Opportunities to implement specific change within the businesses and organization sectors will be identified and supported through the development of a Liaison Advisory Group. Each sector will be represented by a member of the Liaison Advisory Group. Businesses and organizations will be recruited to increase their awareness of children's unique health issues as impacted by exposure to environmental toxins from the following twelve sectors:

Membership benefits will include:

1. Access to a central data center and clearinghouse for education, information, and consultation for children's environmental health in Texas;
2. Increased knowledge of, and connection to evidence-based research, information, and technology to protect the health of children at a personal, business and community level;
3. Mechanism to address sensitive or potentially divisive issues;
4. Consultation services to members when exploring alternative practices to protect children from exposure to environmental contaminants;
5. Private forum where members may dialogue exclusively within their sector or access information from other sectors;
6. Venue options for members to explore the issues most important to them in developing or modifying their business practices to become more sensitive to children's health and the environment.

Role of TCCEH