In Harm's Way Training Programs for Health Professionals

Nearly 12 million children in the US suffer from one or more learning, behavioral, or developmental disabilities such as ADHD and autism. Studies indicate that exposure to a variety of commonly encountered chemicals may contribute to these disabilities.

Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility has been conducting daylong training conferences for health professionals, which:

• Address the role that environmental chemicals including metals, solvents, pesticides, and other substances play in neurodevelopmental disorders.
• Provide tools the healthcare community can use to help recognize and mitigate, as well as prevent, patient exposures to environmental pollutants.
• Discuss the role of health professionals as public health advocates.

The training is based on the peer-reviewed report In Harm's Way: Toxic Threats to Child Development, released in May, 2000 and endorsed by leading scientists and academics. It is presented in a combination of plenary lectures and workshops featuring case studies. The training is relevant to physicians, nurses, midwives, staff of community health centers, students, childbirth educators, psychologists, and other health care providers, and is designed to provide Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits to physicians as well as Contact Hours for Nurses. A successful pilot training was held in April, 2001 at the New York Academy of Medicine, followed by trainings in Boston, San Francisco, and Minneapolis in 2002, Portland OR and Seattle WA in 2003, and Michigan in 2005.

In addition to the authors of In Harm's Way: Toxic Threats to Child Development, workshops are led by local health care providers, public health professionals, and community advocates in order to balance clinical material with local public health issues.

In Harm's Way Trainings

• Upcoming