ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE: PARTNERSHIPS FOR COMMUNICATION

Release Date:  May 29, 1998

RFA:  ES-98-006

P.T.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Letter of Intent Receipt Date:  July 1, 1998
Application Receipt Date:  October 27, 1998

PURPOSE

The purpose of this program is to strengthen the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) support of research aimed at achieving
environmental justice for socioeconomically disadvantaged and medically under
served populations in the United States.  One goal of the NIEHS is to
stimulate investigative efforts that attempt to address questions related to
the influence of economic and social factors on the health status of
individuals exposed to environmental toxicants.

This component of the NIEHS research program in environmental justice is
designed to stimulate community outreach, training, research and education
efforts that will become the catalyst for reducing exposure to environmental
pollutants in under served populations.  The main objective of this RFA is to
establish methods for linking members of a community, who are directly
affected by adverse environmental conditions, with researchers and health care
providers and to enable this partnership to develop appropriate research
strategies to address environmental health problems of concern.  This effort
will ensure that:

o  The community is aware of basic environmental health concepts, issues, and
resources.

o  The community has a role in identifying and defining problems and risks
related to environmental exposures.

o  The community is included in the dialogue shaping research approaches to
the problem.

o  The community actively participates with researchers and health care
providers in developing responses and setting priorities for intervention
strategies.

One aim of this program is to facilitate the process of developing the trust
needed for establishment of effective partnerships among individuals who are
adversely impacted by an environmental hazard in a socioeconomically
disadvantaged community, researchers in environmental health, and health care
providers.  Once this aim is achieved, the collaborative team should then be
able to initiate a research program that incorporates all parties and seeks to
reduce exposure to or health impact from an environmental contaminant.

HEALTHY PEOPLE 2000

The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health promotion
and disease prevention objectives of Health People 2000, a PHS-led national
activity for setting priority areas.  This RFA, Environmental Justice:
Partnerships for Communication, is related to the priority area of
environmental health.  Potential applicants may obtain a copy of  "Healthy
People 2000" (Full Report: Stock no. 017-001-00474-0 or Summary Report: Stock
No. 017-001-00473-1) through the Superintendent of Documents, Government
Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325 (telephone: (202) 512-1800.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Applications may be submitted by domestic for-profit and non-profit
organizations, public and private, including predominantly minority
institutions, individually or as joint efforts of minority institutions and
majority institutions.  Usually, only one award under this RFA will be funded
at an institution or organization.  Although a single institution or
organization must be the applicant, a multi-institutional arrangement
(consortium) is possible.  Such consortia, entailing active participation by
more than one organization, are encouraged if there is clear evidence of close
interaction and responsible partnership among the participants.

Competitive continuation applications from existing grantees in the NIEHS
Environmental Justice: Partnerships For Communication program in their fourth
year of support will be accepted for consideration under this RFA.  Such
applications must follow PHS 398 guidelines for competitive renewal, including
a progress report.  Such applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Program
Staff listed under INQUIRIES for additional guidance.

It is important to note that, because of the wide range of environmental
health problems to be addressed and the diversity of affected communities,
applications must include at least one of each of the following:

o  A research scientist in environmental health sciences (such as those at
NIEHS Environmental Health Sciences Centers).

o  A primary health care provider directly involved in a community affected by
an environmental pollutant.  This individual must have a record of providing
health care to the participating community.  He/she could, but need not
necessarily, be affiliated with a county or state public health department.

o  A member of a community organization in an area having an under served
population that is adversely affected by an environmental pollutant.  This
individual must be someone who lives in or works directly and regularly with
the participating community.

At least one member of each of these three required personnel groups must have
an active and meaningful role in both development of the application and
conduct of the proposed project.   These personnel must be listed on page 2 of
the PHS 398 application, and a biographical sketch must be provided for each. 
Applications lacking the required personnel will not be considered.

The role of each member of these three personnel groups in developing the
application and carrying out the project must be clearly identified and fully
described.  There should be an equitable distribution of responsibilities as
well as of requested financial resources among the three personnel groups. 
This goal is often accomplished through the inclusion of one or more
subcontract arrangements, which may be helpful in defining all parties'
programmatic and budgetary roles.

The NIEHS has a significant commitment to the support of programs designed to
increase the number of underrepresented minority and female scientists
participating in biomedical and behavioral research.  Therefore, applications
from minority individuals and women are encouraged.

Because of the community-based nature of this program, well-established
community-based organizations are encouraged to consider their capacity to
serve as the primary applicant organization.  Due to the complex
administrative, programmatic, and financial responsibilities associated with
this role, such groups should contact Program Staff listed below for guidance.

MECHANISM OF SUPPORT

This RFA will use the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Education Grant
(R25).  Responsibility for the planning, direction, and execution of the
proposed project will be solely that of the applicant.  The total project
period for an application submitted in response to the present RFA may not
exceed four years.

FUNDS AVAILABLE

The estimated total funds available for the first year of support for the
entire program are anticipated to be $1.5 million.  The maximum award will be
$200,000 in direct costs, including subcontract total (direct plus indirect)
costs, per year.  Indirect costs will be paid at the approved indirect cost
rate for the applicant organization less appropriate exclusions.  It is
anticipated that five grants will be awarded depending upon the availability
of funds for this purpose and the quality of the applications received. 
Supplements are not allowed.  Although this program is provided for in the
financial plans of the NIEHS, awards pursuant to this RFA are contingent upon
the availability of funds for this purpose.  Funding beyond the first and
subsequent years of the award will be contingent upon satisfactory progress
during the preceding year and upon availability of funds.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

Background

Americans want to live long and healthy lives, and the majority of them
achieve that goal.  In general, however, people who are economically
disadvantaged and/or who live or work in areas and occupations where
conditions impart greater exposure to hazardous substances are less likely to
do so.  At every stage of life, these persons suffer disproportionate levels
of morbidity and mortality.  Evidence suggests that certain groups, especially
minorities and low-income communities, bear an uneven share of hazardous
environmental exposures.  Socioeconomically disadvantaged people suffer the
lowest life expectancy and the highest adverse health consequences of
inadequate access to high quality health care.  Additionally, they most often
experience the highest degree of exposure to environmental agents and
frequently have the least information available about the health consequences
of exposure to these agents.

Environmental justice refers to the need to remedy the unequal burden borne by
socioeconomically disadvantaged persons in terms of residential exposure to
greater than acceptable levels of environmental pollution, occupational
exposure to hazardous substances, and fewer civic benefits such as sewage and
water treatment.  Geographic location plays an important role in environmental
exposure of socioeconomically disadvantaged persons.  Inner city poor often
live in homes with high lead levels.  They may also be exposed to higher
levels of air pollution.  Toxic waste sites are more frequent in rural, low
socioeconomic counties in the U.S.  Nuclear facilities and chemical plants are
often located in rural areas.  Exposure to pesticides is another example where
rural, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations area at a greater than
average risk.  Disadvantaged neighborhoods may rely on well water which may be
polluted with toxic chemicals.  In addition, medical care is often inadequate
or unavailable to a significant proportion of the socioeconomically
disadvantaged and minority people in America today.

Lead poisoning and the cognitive and developmental damage associated with
exposure to lead occur disproportionately among minorities.  High blood
pressure and prostrate cancer are very common among African Americans.  Low
birth weight babies and other problems during pregnancy are common among
groups of women who do not have access to good prenatal care.  Some of these
conditions or other diseases may have an environmental component in their
etiology.  The lack of resources for early identification of the effects of
toxic agents may lead to an increased disease burden in people who are
economically least able to cope with it.

Recent Progress and Opportunities

Over the past five years, the NIEHS has supported a variety of environmental
justice and community-based prevention/intervention research programs.  These
programs have been very successful in achieving open and honest communication
between researchers and community members.  Working together, researchers and
community leaders have been able to identify disproportionate environmental
health risks in certain communities and have begun to formulate research
agendas.  A needed step in this process is gaining participation of community
members in efforts to gather preliminary health and exposure data.

Ongoing projects within the NIEHS Environmental Justice: Partnerships For
Communication program are committed to enhancing community participation in
research studies and to facilitating communication among environmental health
researchers, community health care providers, and community members.  Methods
utilized in these projects include:

o  Assessment and/or surveys of environmental hazards.

o  Characterization and evaluation of the distribution and health impact of
environmental contaminants.

o  Provision of environmental health and toxic exposure training for health
care providers.

o  Development of culturally appropriate education and communication
materials.

o  Development and implementation of exposure reduction/pollution prevention
strategies.

Objectives and Scope

One component of the mission of NIEHS is to promote research aimed at
achieving environmental justice by identifying and addressing
disproportionately high and adverse effects of environmental agents on human
health in low income and minority populations.

The main objectives of this program are to:  establish methods for linking
members of a community, who are directly affected by adverse environmental
conditions, with researchers and health care providers; and enable this
partnership to develop appropriate research strategies to address
environmental health problems of concern.  Development of such community-based
strategies to address environmental health problems requires approaches that
are not typically familiar to the research and medical communities.

Customary approaches to risk assessment and management often neglect the
knowledge and experience of at risk populations and the sociocultural context
of environmental hazards.  The distinctive needs of individual communities and
their inhabitants are only rarely considered in identifying environmental
health problems and devising appropriate disease and pollution prevention
tactics.  Under served populations are often diverse, fragmented, and
isolated, making it difficult to obtain their input and to integrate their
concerns in decision-making processes.  Assays of the health effects of
environmental pollution, as well as regulations based on such assays, are
often performed with little or no input from the affected community.  The
purpose of this program is to institute mechanisms to bridge this
communication gap.

Once communication and collaboration have been achieved, researchers and
community members should then develop a research agenda to identify and assess
environmental risks.  Establishing and maintaining trust among all personnel
is important throughout the process, as it will enhance the capacity to
collect preliminary health and exposure data.  The ultimate goal of this
program is to reduce health threats to these populations.  Therefore,
participation of the community is essential for both identification of health
risks as well as for effective implementation of policies to reduce exposure.

Applicants are therefore expected to create equitable partnerships among
researchers in environmental health, health care providers, and
representatives of low income or medically under served communities affected
by environmental health problems.

Types of activities that may be proposed include, but are not limited to:

o  Develop efficacious methods for risk communication in low-income and under
served communities unfavorably impacted by environmental hazards.

o  Develop community-based, culturally sensitive educational programs to
mitigate adverse health effects from environmental toxicants in low-income and
under served communities.

o  Carry out community-based training to increase environmental health
literacy, i.e., increase awareness of the public, in such neighborhoods.

o  Train and educate neighborhood health care professionals in the diagnosis
and treatment of disorders having an etiology related to exposure to hazardous
substances, i.e., increase awareness of health care providers.  These
providers should have a direct role in assisting a community affected by
exposure to an environmental hazard.

o  Develop a research agenda to measure population exposure and/or quantify
human health impacts.

The NIEHS wishes to encourage a broad, comprehensive approach to this problem
that emphasizes both education and research.  Applicants are encouraged to
consider proposing some combination of the above activities.

The following factors must be included in applications submitted in response
to this RFA.  Applications lacking any one of the following factors will be
considered nonresponsive.  Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to
consult program staff listed under INQUIRIES about their capacity to address
each of these factors.  The required elements for each application are:

o  A means of establishing effective input from an under served community
affected by an environmental toxicant.  For example, applicants may consider
creating a community-based advisory board or steering committee to facilitate
outreach, planning, and evaluation efforts.  This input could be obtained
directly from members of a community affected by an environmental toxicant as
well as from representatives of such groups as community and neighborhood
associations, churches, public housing resident councils, community health
centers, local public health service departments, and minority educational
institutions.

o  An objective assessment process designed to:
-  Identify priority areas in environmental health as perceived by community
members.
-  Develop a consensus among community members about plausible approaches.
-  Build upon existing experience and knowledge within the community.
-  Detect any potential constraints in implementing the project.

o  Development of appropriate education/communication modules.  Proposed
projects must provide for dissemination of relevant information within the
community as well as a means for the community to have a voice that reaches
researchers and health care providers.

o  Develop research and intervention approaches.  For example, projects to
collect and analyze exposure/health data are appropriate and encouraged.

o  Evaluation of the project's effectiveness.  A procedure must be established
to assess the usefulness of the project's education, communication and
research activities.  Both process and outcome measures should be addressed.

o  Recommendations for future activities, beyond the period of NIEHS funding,
to assure continued participation of community members in research and service
programs addressing environmental injustices.

Each of the above elements is essential to fulfill the education,
communication, research and outreach aims of this RFA. Applicants lacking any
of the above components will be considered nonresponsive.

It is important to note that award of a grant under this RFA by the NIEHS does
not imply a commitment to future funding of any programs planned with the
support of such a grant.  Separate applications must be submitted for such
programs and such applications will be evaluated on the basis of their own
merits.

Activities conducted under this RFA should be consistent with Federal
Executive Order No. 12988 entitled, "Federal Actions to Address Environmental
Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations."  To the extent
practicable and permitted by law, grantees shall make achieving environmental
justice part of their project's mission by identifying and addressing, as
appropriate, disproportionately high and adverse human health effects of
environmental contaminants on minority, low-income, and medically under served
populations, including African, Hispanic, Asian, and Native Americans.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

To encourage applicants to share information gained via these grants, a member
of each of the three types of required personnel on each project (scientist,
health care provider, and community member) will be asked to attend an annual
meeting at NIEHS.  Applicants should include such travel in their budget
requests.

INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS

It is the policy of the NIH that women and members of minority groups and
their subpopulations must be included in all NIH supported biomedical and
behavioral research projects involving human subjects, unless a clear and
compelling rationale and justification is provided that inclusion is
inappropriate with respect to the health of the subjects or the purpose of the
research.  This policy results from the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993
(Section 492B of Public Law 103 43).

All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should read the
"NIH Guidelines for Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical
Research," which have been published in the Federal Register of March 28, 1994
(FR 59 14508-14513) and in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, Volume 23,
Number 11, March 18, 1994.

Investigators also may obtain copies of the policy from the program staff
listed under INQUIRIES.  Program staff may also provide additional relevant
information concerning the policy.

INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS PARTICIPANTS IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS

It is the policy of NIH that children (i.e., individuals under the age of 21)
must be included in all human subjects research, conducted or supported by the
NIH, unless there are scientific and ethical reasons not to include them. 
This policy applies to all NIH conducted or supported research involving human
subjects, including research that is otherwise "exempt" in accord with
Sections 101 (b) and 401(b) of 45 CFR 46 þ Federal Policy for the Protection
of Human Subjects.  The inclusion of children as subjects in research must be
in compliance with all applicable subparts of 45 CFR 46 as well as with other
pertinent federal laws and regulations.  Therefore, proposals for research
involving human subjects must include a description of plans for including
children.  If children will be excluded from the research, the application or
proposal must present an acceptable justification for the exclusion.

LETTER OF INTENT

Prospective applicants are requested to submit, by July 1, 1998, a letter of
intent that includes a descriptive title of the proposed project, the name,
address, and telephone number of the Principal Investigator, the identities of
other key personnel and participating institutions, and the number and title
of the RFA in response to which the application may be submitted.  Although a
letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into
review of a subsequent application, the information that it contains is
helpful in planning for the review of applications.  It allows NIEHS staff to
estimate the potential review workload and avoid conflict of interest.

The letter of intent is to be sent to:

Ethel B. Jackson, D.D.S.
Division of Extramural Research and Training
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
P.O. Box 12233, MD EC-24
111 T.W. Alexander Drive
Research Triangle Park, NC  27709
Telephone:  (919) 541-7826
FAX:  (919) 541-2503
Email:  jackson4@niehs.nih.gov

APPLICATION PROCEDURES

The research grant application form PHS 398 (rev. 5/95) is to be used in
applying for these grants.  These forms are available at most institutional
offices of sponsored research and may be obtained from the Division of
Extramural Outreach and Information Resources, National Institutes of Health,
6701 Rockledge Drive, MSC 7910, Bethesda, MD 20892-7910, telephone 301/435-
0714, Email: GrantsInfo@nih.gov.

The RFA label available in the PHS 398 (rev. 5/95) application form must be
affixed to the bottom of the face page of the application.  Failure to use
this label could result in delayed processing of the application that it may
not reach the review committee in time for review.  In addition, the RFA title
and number must be typed on line 2 of the face page of the application form
and the YES box must be marked.

Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including the
checklist, and three signed, photocopies, in one package to:

CENTER FOR SCIENTIFIC REVIEW
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
6701 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE, ROOM 1040 þ MSC 7710
BETHESDA, MD  20892-7710
BETHESDA, MD  20817 (for express/courier service)

At the time of submission, two additional copies of the application must be
sent to:

Ethel Jackson, D.D.S.
Division of Extramural Research and Training
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
P.O. Box 12233, MD EC-24
111 T.W. Alexander Drive
Research Triangle Park, NC  27709

Applications must be received by October 27, 1998.   If an application is
received after that date, it will be returned to the applicant without review. 
The Center for Scientific Review (CSR) will not accept any application in
response to this RFA that is essentially the same as one currently pending
initial review, unless the applicant withdraws the pending application.  The
CSR will not accept any application that is essentially the same as one
already reviewed.  This does not preclude the submission of substantial
revisions of applications already reviewed, but such applications must include
an introduction addressing the previous critique.

All human and animal welfare as well as misconduct assurances must be complete
for an application to be reviewed.  All follow up assurances and approvals
submitted as pending must be received within 60 days of the application
receipt deadline or the application will not be reviewed.

REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS

Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed for completeness by the CSR and
responsiveness by the NIEHS.  Applications that are incomplete and/or
nonresponsive will be returned to the applicant without review.  Complete and
responsive applications will be evaluated for scientific and technical merit
by a peer review group convened by the NIEHS in accordance with review
criteria stated below.

As part of the initial merit review, a process may be used by the initial
review group in which applications will be determined to be competitive or
noncompetitive based on their scientific merit relative to other applications
received in response to the RFA.  Applications judged to be competitive will
be discussed and be assigned a priority score.  Applications determined to be
noncompetitive will be withdrawn from further consideration and the Principal
Investigator and the official signing for the applicant organization will be
notified.

The major review factors listed below will be used in evaluation of
applications for this RFA:

o  Scientific, technical and/or medical significance and merit of the proposed
project as determined by such factors as its content, originality, and
feasibility.

o  Evidence of access to, interaction with, and input from a minority, low-
income, or under served community, whose members' health is adversely impacted
by an environmental toxicant.  There should be evidence of effective
involvement of such a community in development of the application as well as
in conduct of the project.

o  Capacity of the project to:
-  Identify key environmental hazards that affect the health and quality of
life of people who live in or around communities thought to be at risk.
-  Establish a focus and appropriate strategies and procedures for information
exchange related to environmental health problems in socioeconomically
disadvantaged communities.
-  Enhance awareness of environmental health problems among members of the
public and/or health care providers living or working in low-income or under
served communities.
-  Have a direct impact on the health or quality of life of individuals in
affected communities, e.g., by diminishing exposure to environmental
toxicants.

o  Appropriateness and adequacy of the approach and methodology proposed to
accomplish the project's objectives.  Effectiveness of the proposed plan in
reaching the target audience.  For example, many socioeconomically
disadvantaged persons tend not to obtain information from the written word. 
Low or no literacy, as well as bilingual, materials may need to be generated.

o  Plans for evaluation of factors contributing to the project's
effectiveness.  Evaluations should include a measure of the impact of the
project on community members' knowledge and awareness of issues and resources
related to environmental health sciences.  Similarly, evaluation of the
effectiveness of health care provider training should be conducted.  Both
process and outcome evaluation tools should be incorporated.

o  Qualifications and experience of the principal investigator and staff,
particularly but not exclusively in areas relevant to the mission of NIEHS. 
Personnel should demonstrate knowledge of the needs of their target audience. 
There should be evidence of effective cooperation and interaction in
development of the application as well as in execution of the project among
the three types of required personnel: a researcher in environmental health
sciences, a health care provider, and a member of a community organization in
an area having an under served population that is adversely affected by an
environmental pollutant.  There should be an equitable distribution of
responsibilities among the three types of required personnel.

o  Strength of institutional commitment as evidenced by provision of
appropriate resources, services, technical support, and allocation of space.

o  Availability of resources necessary to carry out the project.

o  Appropriateness of the proposed budget and duration in relation to the
project's objectives.  Consistent with an equitable distribution of
responsibilities, there should likewise be an equitable distribution of
requested financial support among the three types of required personnel.

o  Adequacy of plans to include both genders, minorities and their subgroups,
and children as appropriate for the scientific goals of the research when
human subjects are used.  Plans for the recruitment and retention of subjects
will also be evaluated.

AWARD CRITERIA

The anticipated date of award is July 1, 1999.  The following will be
considered in making funding decisions:

o  Quality of the proposed applications as determined by peer review.
o  Significance with respect to the goals of this RFA and the priorities of
the NIEHS.
o  Availability of funds.

Schedule

The following is the schedule planned for this initiative.  It should be noted
that this schedule might be changed without notification due to factors that
were unanticipated at the time of the announcement.  Contact the program
official below regarding any changes in the schedule.

Letter of Intent Receipt Date:  July 1, 1998
Application Receipt Date:       October 27, 1998
Initial Scientific Review:      February, 1999
Advisory Council Review:        May 1999
Anticipated Date of Funding:    July 1, 1999

INQUIRIES

Written, telephone or Email inquiries concerning this RFA are encouraged.  The
opportunity to clarify any issues or questions from potential applicants is
welcome.

Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to:

Allen Dearry, Ph.D.
Division of Extramural Research and Training
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
P.O. Box 12233, 111 T.W. Alexander Drive, MD EC-21
Research Triangle Park, NC  27709
Telephone:  (919) 541-4500
FAX:  (919) 541-4937
Email:  dearry@niehs.nih.gov

Direct inquires regarding fiscal matters to:

Mr. David L. Mineo
Division of Extramural Research and Training
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
P.O. Box 12233, 111 T.W. Alexander Drive, MD EC-22
Research Triangle Park, NC  27709-2233
Telephone:  (919) 541-7628
FAX:  (919) 541-2860
Email:  mineo@niehs.nih.gov

AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS

This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Nos.
93.113, 93.114, and 93.115.  Awards are made under authorization of the Public
Health Service Act, Title IV, Part A (Public Law 100 607) and administered
under PHS grant policies and Federal Regulations 42 CFR Part 52 and 45 CFR
Part 74.  The program is not subject to the intergovernmental review
requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency review.

The PHS strongly encourages all grant and contract recipients to provide a
smoke-free workplace and promote the non-use of all tobacco products.  In
addition, Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits smoking
in certain facilities (or in some cases an portion of a facility) in which
regular or routine education, library, day care, health care or early
childhood development services are provided to children.  This is consistent
with the PHS mission to protect and advance the physical and mental health of
the American people.

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