We are happy to report that over 300 individuals from 42 states and territories participated in our first Web dialogue to discuss the issues of chemical safety. A summary of highlights is available for all to see online at http://www.webdialogues.net/cs/nationalconversation-vision-discussions/view/di/212?x-t=discussions.view.
Now, the National Conversation is taking this virtual dialogue into the real world by inviting the public to host and participate in nationwide Community Conversations through the end of June—and we once again invite you to share this information with your readers.
To support these conversations, the National Conversation is providing a downloadable Community Conversation Toolkit here: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/nationalconversation/community_conversations.html. This toolkit can assist anyone who is interested in hosting a Community Conversation with all the tools he/she will need, including:
· Outreach tips for recruiting participants;
· Instructions for hosting and guiding a conversation;
· A brief background paper on the issue of public health and chemical exposures;
· A discussion guide to prompt conversations; and
· Instructions and materials for providing the National Conversation team with a summary of the conversation's major outcomes.
No expertise is needed to host or participate in a community conversation. The National Conversation team wants input from anyone with a personal and/or professional interest in environmental or public health issues—community organizations, faith-based groups, neighborhood associations, state and local agencies, and anyone else with an interest in environmental or public health issues can host a community conversation.
A summary of findings from conversations across the country will appear on a public Web site and a report. As with findings from the Web dialogues, these summaries will contribute to the overall National Conversation process, culminating in the final recommended action agenda.
Your past support of the National Conversation helped generate interest in the first public Web dialogue, and we hope you find that this information on the Community Conversations will also be of value to your readers.
Additional information on the National Conversation on Public Health and Chemical Exposures is available at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/nationalconversation/, or you can contact Dagny Olivares at CDC (dvp2@cdc.gov). If you haven't already joined the National Conversation on Facebook and Twitter, you can help keep the conversation going by following us on both: http://twitter.com/NatlConvo and http://www.facebook.com/NationalConversation.
As our nation assesses the current and future impact of the Gulf oil spill, we are all reminded how important the issues of environmental public health are to us and generations to come. Thank you again for your efforts in championing a healthy, safe nation—and thank you for your support of the National Conversation on Public Health and Chemical Exposures.
