ORRHES is a federal advisory committee created in 1999 whose members live in the communities surrounding the Oak Ridge Reservation. The representative group of citizens provides advice and recommendations to ATSDR and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the two agencies' public health activities and research regarding the Oak Ridge Reservation site. ORRHES members work with private citizens, advocacy groups, and state and federal agencies in the region and provide community members with an opportunity to communicate directly with federal public health agencies. The group holds regular meetings to update the community on ongoing activities.

Anyone with questions about these meetings, ORRHES or ATSDR activities at the Oak Ridge Reservation may contact the ORRHES Designated Federal Official, Marilyn Palmer, toll-free at 1-888-422-8737 or by calling 404-498-1751. Community Involvement Specialist Loretta Bush may be reached at 404-498-1742. Environmental Health Scientist Bill Taylor also may be contacted in the Oak Ridge Field Office at 865-220-0295. Callers should refer to the Oak Ridge site in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

ATSDR, a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, evaluates the human health effects of exposure to hazardous substances.

Established by Congress in 1980 under the Superfund law, ATSDR conducts public health assessments at each of the sites on the EPA National Priorities List, as well as other sites when petitioned. Headquartered in Atlanta, ATSDR is staffed by more than 400 health professionals including epidemiologists, physicians, toxicologists, engineers and public health educators.