| July/August 2013 I. Announcements, News, and Blogs II. Research Findings and Reports IV. Pharmaceuticals in the Environment VI. Intergenerational Activities and Life Course Research VII. Funding Opportunities and Resources VIII. 2013 Calendars of Events and Call for Abstracts I. Announcements, News, and Blogs Science Matters-- EPA Climate Change ResearchHeat waves. Drought. “Super” storms. Flooding. How do we put such events into perspective? And more importantly, how do we take collective action to mitigate and adapt to the increasingly clear evidence that the effects of climate change are unfolding? As the nation did decades ago when faced with threats to its air, water, and land—the first steps toward meeting environmental challenges start with science. “Global change is a priority for EPA, as it is directly related to the Agency’s mission: to protect human health and the environment. Our global change research program is designed to support that mission—to advance the understanding of the impacts of global change specifically to provide the science that the Agency and the nation need to best plan for and respond to climate change and its related impacts,” says EPA’s Dr. Andy Miller, the Associate Director for Climate for the U.S. EPA’s Air Climate and Energy Research Program. Dr. Miller is also a member of the interagency Subcommittee on Global Change Research, which directs the U.S. Global Change Research Program. This issue of EPA’s Science Matters features stories on how Agency researchers and their partners are helping decision makers, communities, and individuals incorporate the latest science into strategies and actions designed to protect public human health and the environment in the face of a changing climate. Also see: Climate Change and the Health of Older Americans -- EPA researchers are exploring the links between climate change and health effects for older Americans. The Power of Prevention Within Our Communities By U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA I am a long-time champion of the power of prevention. As a family physician, I learned there were problems my prescription pad alone couldn’t solve – that if I wanted my patients to be healthier, I had to address issues like low literacy and access to healthy food. Today, prevention is the foundation of my work as Surgeon General. Health does not occur in a doctor’s office alone: health also occurs where we live, learn, work, play, and pray. It is my privilege to chair the National Prevention Council . Established by the Affordable Care Act and Executive Order 13544, the Council was designed to bring federal departments and agencies together to support health and prevention. In 2011, we released the National Prevention Strategy , which includes four Strategic Directions that provide the foundation for our nation’s prevention efforts: healthy and safe community environments, empowered people, elimination of health disparities, and clinical and community preventive services. Working together, we can achieve the Strategy’s vision of moving from a focus on sickness and disease to one based on wellness and prevention. To read more see: http://blog.epa.gov/ej/2013/07/the-power-of-prevention/
National Prevention Council 2013 Annual Status Report Annually the Council submits to the President and the relevant committees of Congress, a report that describes the national progress in meeting specific prevention, health promotion, and public health goals defined in the National Prevention Strategy. The Report shows how each of the departments and agencies that make up the National Prevention Council are making the federal government a leader in prevention. Highlights include new work from the VA improving access to healthy food, and a multidepartment collaboration to prevent heart attacks and strokes. Additionally, the Report shows positive trends in some leading health indicators, including decreases in the number of youth ages 3 to 11 exposed to second-hand smoke and decreases in stroke and overall cancer deaths. The Report also includes several major new announcements, including:
Children’s Environmental Health Network first recipient of Environmental Health Innovation Award The Children’s Environmental Health Network (CEHN) and its Eco-Healthy Child Care® program (EHCC) were presented with the first Environmental Health Innovation Award today at the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) annual conference. The EHCC program supports child care providers in creating child care settings that are as environmentally healthy as possible. “We are honored and delighted to be recognized for this cutting edge program,” said CEHN Executive Director Nsedu Witherspoon. “The child care environment can have a profound impact on a child’s health and development. The Network’s scientists and clinicians identified the need for this program once we realized that environmental health in this setting has been largely ignored.” The Eco-Healthy Child Care® program (EHCC) brings basic concepts and practical steps for healthier environments to a professional community -- child care providers -- who have a tremendous impact on the health of the environments in which millions of U.S. children spend a major portion of their time. EHCC offers a unique endorsement and marketing model for participating child cares, as well as training and technical assistance. CEHN, a national non-profit whose mission is to protect the developing child from environmental hazards and promote a healthy environment, has been working for more than 20 years in the areas of child-protective policy, education, and the support of pediatric peer-reviewed research.
Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act requires that state and local governments ensure that persons with disabilities have access to the pedestrian routes in the public right of way. An important part of this requirement is the obligation whenever streets, roadways, or highways are altered to provide curb ramps where street level pedestrian walkways cross curbs. This requirement is intended to ensure the accessibility and usability of the pedestrian walkway for persons with disabilities. Without curb ramps, sidewalk travel in urban areas can be dangerous, difficult, or even impossible for people who use wheelchairs, scooters, and other mobility devices. Curb ramps allow people with mobility disabilities to gain access to the sidewalks and to pass through center islands in streets. Otherwise, these individuals are forced to travel in streets and roadways and are put in danger or are prevented from reaching their destination; some people with disabilities may simply choose not to take this risk and will not venture out of their homes or communities.
Forest Service Study Finds Urban Trees Removing Fine Particulate Air Pollution, Saving Lives In the first effort to estimate the overall impact of a city’s urban forest on concentrations of fine particulate pollution (particulate matter less than 2.5 microns, or PM2.5), a U.S. Forest Service and Davey Institute study found that urban trees and forests are saving an average of one life every year per city. In New York City, trees save an average of eight lives every year. Fine particulate air pollution has serious health effects, including premature mortality, pulmonary inflammation, accelerated atherosclerosis, and altered cardiac functions. In a study recently published on-line by the journal Environmental Pollution, researchers David Nowak and Robert Hoehn of the U.S. Forest Service and Satoshi Hirabayashi and Allison Bodine of the Davey Institute in Syracuse, N.Y., estimated how much fine particulate matter is removed by trees in 10 cities, their impact on PM2.5 concentrations and associated values and impacts on human health. The study, “Modeled PM2.5 Removal by Trees in Ten U.S. Cities and Associated Health Effects,” is available at: http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/43676
Dig, Eat, and Be Healthy A Guide to Growing Food on Public Property By ChangeLabSolutions Although thriving gardens and farms have been established on public lands throughout the country, many communities have yet to make the most of the significant resource that such lands represent. For example, one study in Oakland, Calif., found that the city could grow 5 percent of its recommended vegetable needs using only half of its vacant and underutilized public land – that’s 4,650 tons of produce! And urban agriculture produces more benefits than just fresh, healthy food. It can also promote civic participation, public safety, food literacy, job skills, and urban greening – in short, healthier, more vibrant places.
II. Research Findings and Reports Decisions about how and where we build our communities have significant impacts on the natural environment and on human health. Cities, regions, states, and the private sector need information about the environmental effects of their land use and transportation decisions to mitigate growth-related environmental impacts and to improve community quality of life and human health. In 2001, EPA published Our Built and Natural Environments: A Technical Review of the Interactions Between Land Use, Transportation, and Environmental Quality to show how development patterns affect the environment and human health. Since then, research has continued to clarify and better explain these connections. To capture this research, EPA has revised and updated the report, incorporating key findings from hundreds of studies. The second edition of Our Built and Natural Environments discusses the status of and trends in land use, development, and transportation and their environmental implications. Join a webinar on Our Built and Natural Environments Wednesday, July 24, 2:00 - 3:00 Eastern.
Particulate Air Pollution, Ambulatory Heart Rate Variability, and Cardiac Arrhythmia in Retirement Community Residents with Coronary Artery Disease. Scott M. Bartell, John Longhurst, Thomas Tjoa, Constantinos Sioutas and Ralph J. Delfino Environ Health Perspect; DOI:10.1289/ehp.1205914 Background: Decreased heart rate variability has been associated with future cardiac morbidity and mortality, and is often used as a marker of altered cardiac autonomic balance in studies of health effects of airborne particulate matter. Fewer studies have evaluated associations between air pollutants and cardiac arrhythmia. Objectives: To examine relationships between cardiac arrhythmias, heart rate variability, and exposures to airborne particulate matter. Methods: We measured heart rate variability and arrhythmia with ambulatory electrocardiograms in a cohort panel study for up to 235 hours among 50 nonsmokers with coronary artery disease age 71 years and older living in four retirement communities in the Los Angeles Air Basin. Exposures included hourly outdoor gases, hourly traffic-related and secondary organic aerosol markers, and daily size-fractionated particle mass. We used repeated measures analyses adjusting for actigraph-derived physical activity and heart rate, temperature, day of week, season, and community location. Results: Ventricular tachycardia was significantly increased in association with interquartile range increases in markers of traffic-related particles, secondary organic carbon, and ozone. Few consistent associations were observed for supraventricular tachycardia. Particulates were significantly associated with decreased ambulatory heart rate variability only in the 20 participants using ACE inhibitors. Conclusions: Although these data support the hypothesis that particulate exposures may increase the risk of ventricular tachycardia for elderly people with coronary artery disease, heart rate variability was not associated with exposure in most of our participants. These results are coherent with previous findings in this cohort for systemic inflammation, blood pressure, and ST segment depression.
Ambient Ozone Concentrations and the Risk of Perforated and Nonperforated Appendicitis: A Multicity Case-Crossover Study Gilaad G. Kaplan, Divine Tanyingoh, Elijah Dixon, Markey Johnson, Amanda J. Wheeler, Robert P. Myers, Stefania Bertazzon, Vineet Saini, Karen Madsen, Subrata Ghosh, and Paul J. Villeneuve. Environ Health Perspect; DOI:10.1289/ehp.1206085 Background: Environmental determinants of appendicitis are poorly understood. Past work suggests that air pollution may increase the risk of appendicitis. Objectives: We investigated whether ambient ground-level ozone concentrations were associated with appendicitis and whether these associations varied between perforated and nonperforated appendicitis. Methods: This time-stratified case-crossover study was based on 35,811 individuals hospitalized with appendicitis from 2004-2008 in 12 Canadian cities. Data from a national network of fixed-site monitors were used to calculate daily maximum ozone concentrations for each city. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate city-specific odds ratios relative to an interquartile range increase in ozone adjusted for temperature and relative humidity. A random effects meta-analysis was used to derive a pooled risk estimate. Stratified analyses were used to estimate associations separately for perforated and nonperforated appendicitis. Results: Overall, a 16 ppb increase in the 7-day cumulative average daily maximum ozone concentration was associated with all appendicitis cases across the 12 cities. The association was stronger among patients presenting with perforated appendicitis for the 7-day average, when compared to the corresponding estimate for nonperforated appendicitis. Heterogeneity was not statistically significant across cities for either perforated or nonperforated appendicitis Conclusions: Our findings suggest that higher levels of ambient ozone exposure may increase the risk of perforated appendicitis.
Improved Air Quality and Attenuated Lung Function Decline: Modification by Obesity in the SAPALDIA Cohort Tamara Schikowski, Emmanuel Schaffner, Flurina Meier, Harish C. Phuleria, Andrea Vierkötter, Christian Schindler, Susi Kriemler, Elisabeth Zemp, Ursula Krämer, Pierre-Olivier Bridevaux, Thierry Rochat, Joel Schwartz, Nino Künzli, and Nicole Probst-Hensch Environ Health Perspect; DOI:10.1289/ehp.1206145 Objective: Air pollution and obesity are hypothesized to contribute to accelerated lung function decline with age through their inflammatory properties. We investigated whether the previously reported association between improved air quality and lung health in the population-based SAPALDIA cohort is modified by obesity. Methods: We used adjusted mixed-model analyses to estimate the association of average body mass index (BMI) and changes in PM10 (ΔPM10) with lung function decline over a 10-year follow-up period. Results: Lung function data and complete information were available for 4,664 participants. Age-related declines in lung function among participants with high average BMI were more rapid for FVC, but slower for FEV1/FVC and FEF25-75 than declines among those with low or normal average BMI. Conclusion: Our results point to the importance of considering health effects of air pollution exposure and obesity in parallel. Further research must address the mechanisms underlying the observed interaction.
Long-term Exposure to Black Carbon and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness: The Normative Aging Study Elissa H. Wilker, Murray A. Mittleman, Brent A. Coull, Alexandros Gryparis, Michiel L. Bots, Joel Schwartz, and David Sparrow Environ Health Perspect; DOI:10.1289/ehp.1104845 Background: Evidence suggests that air pollution is associated with atherosclerosis and that traffic-related particles are a particularly important contributor to the association. Objectives: We investigated the association between long-term exposure to black carbon, a correlate of traffic particles, and intima-media thickness of the common carotid artery (CIMT) in elderly men residing in the greater Boston area. Methods: We estimated 1-year average exposure to black carbon at the home address of Normative Aging Study participants before their first CIMT measurement. The association between estimated black carbon levels and CIMT was estimated using mixed effects models to account for repeated outcome measures. In secondary analyses, we examined whether living close to a major road or average daily traffic within 100 meters of residence was associated with CIMT. Results: There were 380 (97% self-reported white race) participants with an initial visit between 2004 and 2008. Two or three follow-up CIMT measurements 1.5 years apart were available for 340 (89%) and 260 (68%) men, respectively. At first examination, average age was 76 ± 6.4 years and mean CIMT was 0.99 ± 0.18 mm. An IQR increase in 1-year average black carbon (0.26µg/m3) was associated with a 1.1% higher CIMT (95% CI: 0.4, 1.7%) based on a fully adjusted model. Conclusions: Annual mean black carbon concentration based on spatially resolved exposure estimates was associated with CIMT in a population of elderly men. These findings support an association between long-term air pollution exposure and atherosclerosis.
Heat-Related Deaths After an Extreme Heat Event — Four States, 2012, and United States, 1999–2009 June 7, 2013 / 62(22);433-436 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) On June 29, 2012, a rapidly moving line of intense thunderstorms with high winds swept across the midwestern and eastern United States, causing widespread damage and power outages. Afterward, the area experienced extreme heat, with maximum temperatures exceeding 100°F (37.8°C). This report describes 32 heat-related deaths in Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia that occurred during the 2 weeks following the storms and power outages. Median age of the decedents was 65 years, and most of the excessive heat exposures occurred within homes. During 1999–2009, an annual average of 658 heat-related deaths occurred in the United States. Heat-related deaths are preventable, and heat response plans should be in place before an extreme heat event. Interventions should focus on identifying and limiting heat exposure among vulnerable populations.
AARP blogs on Livable Communities Walking Shapes Our Bodies and Our Lives Dan Burden, Cofounder of the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute Our built and natural environments play a vital role in our physical, social, psychological, spiritual and emotional health. So, it’s important to find a neighborhood that’s well designed, connected, and to protect the green space that runs through it. Walkability lies at the heart of this picture. It builds social ties and cohesion; it strengthens our legs, lungs, hearts and minds, which in turn helps prevent or fight heart disease, diabetes, dementia and other serious health problems. As walking becomes natural, it enables us to find new energy and build an appetite for healthy food and sleep. Walking is essential to a longer, healthier and happier life, whether we choose to stay in the same place over the years or seek out a new community. My wife, Lys, and I, being adventurous by nature, have taken another path. In our mid-60s, we left Florida to embrace the cooler, pine-laden slopes of Washington State’s Olympic peninsula. We were ready to put down new roots and were pleased to find the lively city of Port Townsend, where we could live car-free in a place with a good growing season. We’ve made friends easily in Port Townsend. Lys has lost 35 pounds from a lot of walking and eating from her garden. http://blog.aarp.org/category/great-places/
Weaving it Together: A Tapestry of Transportation Funding for Older Adults As baby boomers age and reach age 65 and older, communities will need to plan for and maintain services to support their needs. Getting older adults and persons with limited mobility where they need to go can be important for their health and engagement in community life. The AARP Public Policy Institute’s recent publication, Weaving it Together: A Tapestry of Transportation Funding for Older Adults highlights the major sources of federal funding that providers can tap to fund transportation for these populations. Federal sources of funding include those from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Administration for Community Living, the Federal Transit Administration, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. With a growing population in need of transportation and limited funds for these services, providers need to creatively leverage existing and untapped funding sources to fill gaps in service. This paper also discusses the innovative ways providers are funding services, through state and local sources, for older adults and persons with disabilities in the face of shrinking public dollars. The report features seven case studies of local transportation providers from around the country who possess an entrepreneurial spirit and are dedicated to provider quality service to their riders.
Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design Announces 2013 Awards By Project for Public Spaces The Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design (CIRD) announced four organizations selected to host design workshops in rural communities. CIRD workshops bring together local leaders, non-profits, community organizations, and citizens with a team of specialists in design, planning, and creative placemaking to address design challenges identified by the community. Selected by an advisory panel from a pool of 30 applicants, the four 2013 workshop hosts are:
CIRD offers annual competitive funding to as many as four small towns or rural communities to host a two-and-a-half day community design workshop. CIRD awardees receive $7,000 to support the workshop, in-kind design expertise and technical assistance valued at $35,000, and additional training through webinars, conference calls, and web-based resources. This summer, CIRD will co-host three capacity building conference calls to help selected towns plan for and implement successful community design workshops. Part of the ongoing CommunityMatters conference call series, these monthly calls are open to the public and designed to help any community working on a design or planning project get the skills they need to succeed, as well as the inspiration to get started:
IV. Pharmaceuticals in the Environment Save the Date: International Symposium on Safe Medicine is being held in Charleston, West Virginia (Tuesday-Thursday, September 17-19, 2013).
October 26, 2013 Next National Drug Take-Back Day The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse of medications.Please check back on October 1, 2013 to locate collection sites near you. October 26, 2013. 10AM to 2PM
How to Dispose of Medications Safely http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/ppcp/upload/ppcpflyer.pdf Do Not: Flush expired or unwanted prescription and over-the-counter drugs down the toilet or drain unless the label or accompanying patient information specifically instructs you to do so. DO: Return unwanted or expired prescription and over-the-counter drugs to a drug take-back program or follow the steps for household disposal below.
California-Based Group Serves as 'Match.com for Unused Medicine' IHealthBeat Reporting Technology’s Impact on Health Care A service of California HealthCare Foundation
A website run by a California-based group aims to redistribute unused medications to people who need them, Fast Company's "Co.EXIST" reports.SIRUM -- or Supporting Initiatives to Redistribute Unused Medicine -- collects unused prescription drugs from nursing homes and matches them to low-cost and no-cost clinics that need the medication. Kiah Williams -- co-founder of SIRUM -- said the site is "the Match.com for unused medicine," adding, "We're using technology to collect surplus medicines to help vulnerable people." Over the last four years, the group has redistributed 440,000 units of medicine worth $1.4 million. The most common prescription drugs collected are: Anti-depressants; and Cardiovascular disease medication. SIRUM currently operates only in California, but the group hopes to expand to other states with laws that allow prescription drugs to be passed on to other individuals.SIRUM has received grants from the California HealthCare Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. CHCF publishes iHealthBeat. However, Williams said the group recently implemented a membership fee so it is not dependent on grants over the long term (Schiller, "Co.EXIST," Fast Company, 6/24).
Boomer Reporting Corps: A Model for Older Adult Citizen Journalism The Boomer Reporting Corps (BRC) is a unique older adult citizen journalism project spearheaded by the University of Maine Center on Aging and the Maine Community Foundation. In partnership with the University of Maine’s New Media Department, the BRC consists of a series of comprehensive workshops and specialized mentoring in journalism, photography, and multimedia designed specifically for older adult community volunteers interested in keeping members of their rural communities informed of key local issues. BRC programming was designed to help older adults who are already leading change in their communities to share local news by increasing their access to technology. Between workshop sessions, BRC participants developed individual multimedia narratives ranging in topics from showcasing local figures of interest to demonstrating the growing economic vitality in their local downtown district. To view multimedia narratives completed by older adult participants and access video tutorials designed to help build citizen journalism skills, visit the BRC Vimeo channel: http://vimeo.com/user16009974 Additional audio clips from BRC workshops are available on the UMaine Center on Aging Sound Cloud page: https://soundcloud.com/umaine-center-on-aging The Boomer Reporting Corps Project was made possible by funding through the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Atlantic Philanthropies, and the Maine Community Foundation.
59 Projects to Receive $4.725 million to Support Creative Placemaking The National Endowment for the Arts marks another investment in creative placemaking with a third year of funding through the Our Town program. Acting Chairman Joan Shigekawa announced that the NEA plans to award 59 grants in 36 states totaling $4.725 million to fund projects that engage the arts to help shape the social, physical, and economic character of communities. Since the Our Town program's inception in 2011, the NEA has supported 190 projects totaling more than $16 million in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Through Our Town, the NEA supports creative placemaking projects that help transform communities into lively, beautiful, and sustainable places with the arts at their core. Projects encourage creative activity, develop community identity and a sense of place, and help revitalize local economies. All Our Town grant awards are made to partnerships that consist of at least one nonprofit organization and a local government entity. "This is an exciting time to announce the Our Town grants as a national conversation around creative placemaking advances and deepens," said NEA Acting Chairman Joan Shigekawa. "The NEA leads on this topic not only through our funding but through webinars, publications, and research. With these resources, we will help to ensure that the field of creative placemaking continues to mature, enhancing the quality of life for communities across the country." "This pool of Our Town investments exemplifies the dedication of the creative people of America to partnering in the development of their communities," said NEA Director of Design Programs Jason Schupbach. "Through a diverse array of projects, artists and designers will not only create great art, but will also work across silos in making lively, beautiful, and sustainable places."
VI. Intergenerational Activities Truly Livable Communities Designed for All Ages by A. Barry Rand, CEO AARP, AARP Bulletin The birth of the boomer generation brought with it a time of tremendous demographic upheaval in the United States. The nation responded by investing in school construction, teacher education, public health, transportation and housing to make communities more livable. We even virtually invented suburbia as a place to live. Today, this generation is again leading a demographic revolution. With 10,000 people turning 65 each day, we are quickly approaching a point where the number of people 65 and over will outnumber children 15 and under for the first time in U.S. history. And again, boomers are redefining what it means to make communities livable. More than 90 percent of the 60-plus population want to stay where they live as they get older and are seeking ways to adapt their current homes and communities to their needs. So what makes a community livable? A truly livable community is designed for all ages and not only supports but appeals to residents from the youngest children to the oldest adults. Well-maintained sidewalks and safe crosswalks help older people with limited mobility as well as parents pushing strollers. Transportation options help residents who may no longer drive get to the grocery store and help students get to class. Affordable housing helps young professionals live near their jobs and retirees remain in homes they can afford. These communities also recognize the dangers of isolation and find ways to promote engagement and help people stay connected. See also: What makes a community livable?
Bird Tales: A Program for Engaging People with Dementia through the Natural World of Birds, by Randy Griffin, R.N., M.S., HNC uses multisensory stimulation and the outdoor world of birds to help people living with dementia share a meaningful experience with others while also providing local bird populations with newly improved habitats. The program includes a program guide and educational DVD that take long-term care professionals and community organizations step-by-step through simple ways of improving the outdoor spaces of residential care communities and promoting environmentally conscious practices while helping residents interact with their environment. In today's nursing homes and assisted living facilities, more than half the residents may have some level of Alzheimer's disease or other dementia and struggle to stay connected to their surroundings. With 5.4 million Americans now living with the debilitating effects of Alzheimer's disease, communities across the country are striving to keep these citizens meaningfully engaged and active. "Nature is one of our best medicines," said Audubon President and CEO David Yarnold. "The Bird Tales program brings peace and joy to people living with dementia by connecting them with the healing power of birds. And at the same time, by encouraging facilities managers to create bird-friendly habitats, the program gives birds a boost too." Dementia consultant Randy Griffin and Audubon educator Ken Elkins created the Bird Tales program, with its unique blend of education and programming around the needs of people with dementia and of native bird populations. Long-term care provider TransCon provided financial and operational support to develop and pilot the Bird Tales program in four of its care communities in Connecticut.
2013 Rachel Carson Poetry, Essay, Photography, Dance and Music Contest: Stay tuned to see this year’s finalists and to vote to help select this year’s winners. http://www.epa.gov/aging/resources/thesenseofwonder/index.htm
Promoting Active Transportation: An Opportunity for Public Health American Public Health Association and Safe Routes to School with funding from CDC This primer is intended to give an introduction and orientation to as to why and how health should be considered in transportation planning and decision-making — in particular through active transportation — and the role that public health practitioners can play. Examples of how to become involved with transportation, land use and built environment decisions at various levels in your community, region or state. You also will find a variety of resources, ideas and additional information listed throughout this document to help you dig deeper into particular aspects and to connect with other partners and experts.
VII. Funding Opportunities and Resources U.S. EPA Funding Opportunities New-- Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Request for Applications
This Request for Applications (RFA) solicits applications from eligible entities for grants and/or cooperative agreements to be awarded pursuant to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan. This RFA is EPA’s only planned competitive grant funding opportunity under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative for FY 2013 and is one of several funding opportunities available through federal agencies under the GLRI. Applications are requested for projects within the following four categories: • Reducing Exposure to Toxic Substances from Fish Consumption; • Invasive Species Prevention and Control;• Lake Erie Cooperative Science and Monitoring Initiative (CSMI); and • Facilitation of Lakewide Action and Management Plan (LAMP) Stakeholder Fora. Deadline: August 14, 2013.
New-- National Center for Innovation in Small Drinking Water Systems EPA, as part of its Science to Achieve Results program, is seeking applications for a National Research Center that will: identify, develop, demonstrate and facilitate widespread acceptance and applicability of novel and innovative technologies and approaches to measure or treat groups of microbiological or chemical contaminants, or their precursors; apply novel new information technology systems; and improve the sustainability of small drinking water systems. While larger Community Water Systems (CWS) serve a greater proportion of the overall population, ninety-two percent of the nation's CWS serve communities with populations of 10,000 or less and supply drinking water for more than fifty-three million Americans. These small systems do not typically have the resources to seek out, evaluate and apply innovative approaches that could provide better drinking water contamination solutions and improve public health protection. Public health-associated violation rates are consistently more than 3 times higher among those CWS that serve less than 10,000 than the larger systems. Because it is so challenging for these small systems to comply with existing standards, progression of public health standards on a national level is hindered. Deadline: August 21, 2013.
Tribal Support for the National Environmental Information Exchange Network EPA announces the availability of funds and solicits applications from eligible organizations that are broadly representative of federally recognized tribes and are familiar with tribal environmental issues, programs and data to provide outreach to increase and enhance tribal participation in the National Environmental Information Exchange Network, also known as the “Exchange Network”. Deadline: August 30, 2013
Susceptibility and Variability in Human Response to Chemical Exposure EPA, as part of its Science to Achieve Results program, is seeking applications proposing research to study life stage and/or genetic susceptibility in order to better characterize the sources of human variability in response to chemical exposure. The adverse outcome pathways concept has the potential to serve as a framework for using susceptibility indicators, bio-monitoring, and high throughput screening data in an integrated manner to predict population responses to novel, potentially harmful, chemicals. Deadline: Sept. 10, 2013.
The EPA, as part of its Science to Achieve Results program, is seeking applications proposing research that will inform school (K-12 educational facilities) building design, construction and operation practices in order to foster safe and healthy school environments and maximize student achievement and teacher and staff effectiveness. Specifically, the goal is to understand the relationship between environmental factors defined broadly and the health, safety and performance of students, teachers and staff. Deadline: October 8, 2013.
Other Funding Opportunities New-- Capacity Building for Sustainable Communities (HUD) This NOFA is part of a cross-agency collaboration between HUD, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), known as the Partnership for Sustainable Communities. The Capacity Building for Sustainable Communities Program (Program), through this NOFA, will identify consortia comprised of intermediary organizations that can provide capacity building support for communities engaged in planning efforts that support community involvement and integrate economic and workforce development, housing, land use, land cleanup and preparation for reuse, transportation, and infrastructure investments. The grantee(s) selected will be expected to deliver capacity building support to communities across the United States. To support these activities, HUD expects to make an award to one to two winning consortia. Deadline: August 7, 2013.
New- DOT "Air Quality and Congestion Mitigation Measure Outcomes Assessment Study" The U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT) intends to conduct a research effort entitled “Air Quality and Congestion Mitigation Measure Outcomes Assessment Study.” The objective of this study is to better understand the outcomes of actions funded under the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) since the enactment of Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU, Public Law 109-59). Outcomes of interest include the emissions reduction potential and air quality and human health impacts of such actions. Additionally, the study shall serve to increase the empirical evidence of the causal relationship between such transportation actions and these outcomes, both intended an unintentional. The validity of methods used to make these types of outcome assessments will also be explored and assessed. Deadline: August 9, 2013.
Asthma in Older Adults (R01) This FOA issued by the National Institute on Aging, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases encourages Research Project Grant applications that propose to study the pathophysiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, and/or management of asthma in older adults. Much of what is known about asthma in adults is based on studies in younger adult populations; however, the mechanisms underlying asthma in some older adults may differ, which may impact on diagnostic, treatment, and prevention strategies. This FOA is intended to stimulate research to address knowledge gaps and research opportunities in asthma in later life. A variety of study approaches are encouraged with this FOA including basic, translational, clinical, and epidemiological studies. Deadline: September 7, 2013.
National Science Foundation (NSF)- Water Sustainability and Climate One of the most urgent challenges facing the world today is to ensure an adequate supply and quality of water in light of both burgeoning human needs and increasing climate variability and change. Despite the importance of water to life on Earth, there are major gaps in our basic understanding of water availability, quality and dynamics, and the impact of both human activity and a changing and variable climate on the water system. The goal of the Water Sustainability and Climate solicitation is to enhance the understanding and predict the interactions between the water system and land use changes, the built environment, ecosystem function and services and climate change/variability through place-based research and integrative models. Deadline: September 10, 2013.
Disaster Assistance for State Units on Aging (SUAs) and Title VI Tribal Organizations Impacted by National Disasters Declared by the President Grants awarded under this announcement are to provide disaster reimbursement and assistance funds to those State Units on Aging and federally recognized Tribal Organizations who are currently receiving a grant under Title VI of the Older Americans Act, as amended. These funds only become available when the President declares a National Disaster and may only be used in those areas designated in the Disaster Declaration issued by the President of the United States. Eligible SUAs and Title VI grantees should discuss all disaster applications with AoA Regional staff before submitting a formal application. Deadline: September 13, 2013.
New—NIA Clinical Trial of a Multifactorial Fall Injury Prevention Strategy in Older Persons (U01) This initiative invites applications for funding to conduct a randomized clinical trial of a multifactorial strategy for preventing serious fall-related injuries among non-institutionalized older persons. A multifactorial strategy should be designed for maximal potency in reducing the rate of serious fall-related injuries, which (if found to be effective in the trial) is feasible for future implementation with fidelity in practice in at least one type of care setting. The trial should test an evidence-based protocol that articulates decision rules that address: screening the population to identify individuals at high risk for falling, assessing high-risk individuals to define their specific risk factors, selecting interventions to ameliorate each person’s risk factors, implementing these interventions, coordinating the delivery of each person’s set of interventions (including methods for coordinating decisions on possible adjustments in medication prescribing among multiple prescribers for a given patient), monitoring each person’s progress toward risk factor reduction, and implementing alternative interventions to overcome lack of progress and mitigate new risk factors. The study should incorporate patients’ and other relevant stakeholders’ priorities and perspectives in the specification of the study protocol and the outcomes to be measured. Applicants should consider adaptive study design features that facilitate "learning" from accumulating positive or negative evidence. Deadline: Letter of Intent October 13, 2013. Full application: November 13, 2013.
New-- Research Linking Environmental Exposure to Neurodegenerative Disease (R21) The purpose of this FOA is to stimulate research on the role of environmental exposure in neurodegenerative disease by developing feasibility data for new concepts or by adapting new technologies, tools and methods of use for studies in neurodegenerative diseases. The emphasis for this FOA would be especially focused on Alzheimers (AD), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Parkinson's (PD) to stimulate advancement of neurodegenerative research by better establishing the importance of environmental exposure in disease causation in accordance with the goals of the new strategic plan. This FOA will use the NIH R21 Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Award mechanism and runs in parallel with another FOA, RFA-ES-13-006 which encourages applications under the R01 mechanisms. Deadline: October 31, 2013
New--Research Linking Environmental Exposure to Alzheimer's Disease (R01) The purpose of this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is to support research establishing a link between environmental exposure and the risk for Alzheimers disease (AD). Research is encouraged ranging from basic mechanistic exposure studies to human-based studies. This new effort seeks to promote work to further the understanding of the combined roles of exposure and processes implicated in AD such as inflammation and genetic susceptibility. This FOA is intended to support the broad research goals of the 2012-2017 Strategic Plan for NIEHS http://www.niehs.nih.gov/about/strategicplan/strategicplantrifold20122017_508.pdf This FOA will use the NIH Research Project Grant (R01) award mechanism and runs in parallel with another FOA, RFA-ES-13-007, which encourages applications under the R21 mechanisms. Deadline: October 31, 2013
New--Blood Pressure Measurement Technologies for Low-Resource Settings in the U.S. and India (U01) Hypertension diagnosis and management are critical needs in both the US and in India, and are areas that are ripe for technological innovation that would serve both countries, particularly in underserved populations. New technologies could be utilized in the design of new blood pressure measurement devices that do not require cuffs or expensive equipment, and that can be used by untrained individuals in their own homes or regional care settings. Affordable technologies for blood pressure measurement would make a substantial contribution to the improvement of hypertension diagnosis and management in both countries. Deadline: January 7, 2014.
Environmental Sustainability National Science Foundation The Environmental Sustainability program supports engineering research with the goal of promoting sustainable engineered systems that support human well-being and that are also compatible with sustaining natural systems. These systems provide ecological services vital for human survival. The long-term viability of natural capital is critical for many areas of human endeavor. Research in Environmental Sustainability typically considers long time horizons and may incorporate contributions from the social sciences and ethics. Deadline: February 20, 2014.
Environmental Health and Safety of Nanotechnology NSF The Environmental Health and Safety of Nanotechnology program at NSF provides support to examine and mitigate the environmental effects of nanotechnologies. Fundamental research is sought to understand, evaluate, and lessen the impact of nanotechnology on the environment and biological systems. The program emphasizes engineering principles underlying the environmental health and safety impacts of nanotechnology. Innovative methods related to clean nanomaterials production processes, waste reduction, recycling, and industrial ecology of nanotechnology are also of interest. Deadline: February 20, 2014.
Biodemography of Aging (R03) Biodemography, integration of demographic and biological theory and methods, provides an innovative tool for understanding the impact of aging on health and longevity. This FOA encourage applications for research combining demographic and life-science approaches to expand the understanding of aging/senescence, frailty and mortality. Applications should include evolutionary and life history theories as a framework for investigating individual and population-level factors that underlie changes in lifespan and healthy life expectancy, including sex and population differentials in late-life frailty & mortality. Deadline: March 3, 2014.
Community Living and NIA--Translational Research to Help Older Adults Maintain their Health and Independence in the Community (R21) The National Institute on Aging and the Administration on Aging invite applications using R21 award mechanism for translational research that moves evidence-based research findings towards the development of new interventions, programs, policies, practices, and tools that can be used by community-based organizations to help elder individuals remain healthy and independent, and living in their own homes and communities. Deadline: May 7, 2014.
New-- Transition to Independent Environmental Health Research (TIEHR) Career Development Award (K22) The Transitions to Independent Environmental Health Research Career Development Award is a 3-year bridge scholar development program for newly independent faculty who intend to pursue careers focused on environmental health sciences research. At the conclusion of the career development period the candidates are expected to demonstrate they can successfully compete for research funding in the environmental health sciences. Deadline: May 7, 2017.
VIII. 2013 Call for Proposals and Calendar 2013 Calendar Call for Proposals: Research and Transportation Board Annual Meeting Jan. 12-16, 2014. Washington, D. C. Deadline: August 1, 2013. Guidance for proposals 26th: Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act N4A 38th Annual Conference July 27–31, 2013. Louisville, KY Generations United 17th International Conference July 30–August 2, 2013. Washington, DC August 2013 National Conference on Safe Routes to School August 13-15, 2013 • Sacramento, California September 2013 Grandparent's Day. September 8, 2013 2nd Annual Conference for Age-Friendly Cities Sept. 9-11, 2013. Quebec, Canada International Symposium on Safe Medicine Sept. 17-19, 2013. Charleston, WV ASTHO Annual Meeting Sept. 18-20, 2013. Orlando, FL National Health Impact Assessment Meeting Sept. 24 - 25 -- Washington DC Active Aging Week Sept. 22-Sept 28, 2013. October 2013 Every Body Walk- Walking Summit October 1-3, 2014. Washington, D.C. Grantmakers in Aging Annual Conference Oct. 16-18, Kansas City, MO Society for Human Ecology October 22 - 25, 2014, Bar Harbor, Maine November 2013 APHA Annual meeting November 2-6, 2013, Boston, MA
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Wednesday 17 July 2013
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Aging and Sustainabiltiy Monthly E-Newsletter
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