COMMUNITY Projects

PROJECT REMOVE is a community-based intervention to advance environment justice and health. 

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Our primary research question is whether geographically focused health messages developed by lay citizens could increase radon testing in communities of color. We propose a participatory program-Radon Evaluation, Mitigation, and Ventilation (REMOVE) to empower minority homeowners so that they can effectively take actions. Our central hypothesis is that novel application of geospatially focused participatory mapping and messaging can influence knowledge, attitudes, and behavior change that leads to reduction of radon exposure in communities of color.

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To answer the research question, our team will 1) spatially harness existing radon tests and socioeconomic data to empower homeowners in Collier Heights to identify radon risks; and 2) develop REMOVE program to improve radon literacy, increase screening rates, and thus reduce exposure. Specifically, we will engage communities in generating knowledge, actionable data, and health messages from lay citizens to advance community environment and health. 

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This project is funded by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Interdisciplinary Research Leaders Programs. 

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This project is led by Dajun Dai Ph.D. (Lead-GSU), Na’Taki Osborne Jelks Ph.D (Spelman). and Gwen Smith (CHARRS)

Agnes Scott College Collaboration PH 395: Community-based Health Practice and Research

 

Assoc. Professor Na’Taki Osborn Jelks students enrolled in the course PH395: Community-based Health Practice and Research partnered with CHARRS to provide resources and data that would benefit CHARRS and the residents who live in the Collier Heights community.  The students learned about  community-based health practice and research, research and ethics, and cultural competency in class and put that knowledge to practice through this partnership.

It All Happens in the Watershed (A Project of West Atalanta Watershed Alliance-WAWA)

On-Water Education, Recreation & Cultural Preservation in Atlanta

January - April 2021

 

WAWA will engage youth from underserved West Atlanta communities in hands-on, culturally-relevant, exploration of their local watersheds as living laboratories to inspire wonder, environmental literacy, connection to sense of place, and stewardship. 

WAWA coordinated the exchange of knowledge with existing community partner: Collier Heights Assoc. for Revitalization, Resilience, and Sustainability (CHARRS’s name changed in April of 2021 to Community Health Aligning Revitalization Resilience)

AQEARTH: PROGRAM EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES TO EXPLORE MAP AND IMPROVE AIR QUALITY (nih.gov)

Project Summary Here we propose the development and implementation of a community-based air monitoring program for small towns, cities and regions around the world. AQEarth will be a synthesis of the best aspects of Denver’s Love My Air Program, funded by the Bloomberg Mayor’s Challenge, and AQTreks, a K-12 educational outreach program developed by 2B Technologies under a NIH/NIEHS SBIR Phase I and II project. 

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LEARN MORE HERE

Collier Heights Environmental Health Outdoor Classroom (August 2017-August 2018)

 

The CHARRS Environmental Health Outdoor Classroom Project will educate students from Collier Heights Community about the physical and built environment they live in and how impacts their health, teach them to be environmental stewards, and to give them a voice at the table in our community. Students will learn about environmental justice and identify environmental health challenges in their community.  

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The project consists of multiple activities to include:

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• Rain Barrel Workshop

• Storm Drain Marking

• Mosquito Surveillance

• Air Monitoring

• Water Sampling with West Atlanta Watershed Alliance & Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (CRK) @ the Westside Rendezvous

• Water Sampler Kit Workshop

•  West Point Lake Floating Classroom