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Abstract This article is the first in a series of three that describes the development and delivery of the Environmental Health and Land Reuse (EHLR) Basic Training and the first pilot of the EHLR Immersion Training. The EHLR Basic Training is based on the 5-step Land Reuse Model from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Through a collaboration with the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA), we developed the EHLR Basic Training in two modalities: virtual/live (maintained by ATSDR) and online/asynchronous (maintained by NEHA). The modules include: 1) Engaging With Your Community, 2) Evaluating Environmental and Health Risks, 3) Communicating Environmental and Health Risks, 4) Redesigning With Health in Mind, and 5) Measuring Success: Evaluating Environmental and Health Change. From June 2019–August 2022, ATSDR and NEHA delivered 10 EHLR Classroom Basic Trainings, launched the EHLR Online Basic Training, and developed the EHLR Immersion Training. We piloted the EHLR Immersion Training in July 2022, March 2023, and July 2023. Our participants included science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students from Diné College who were in a Summer Intern Program; tribal environmental professionals; NEHA members in environmental health careers; and environmental professionals, students, and community members who were engaged in environmental work or environmental justice. We have learned that individual training modules can be used for specific learning needs among our participants. Perhaps more importantly, we have learned that undergraduate students and community members can and should be engaged in EHLR Training. The results of the evaluation and long- term follow-up of the EHLR Training will be presented in the second and third articles in this series. Keywords: brownfields, Navajo Nation, environmental health, land reuse, environmental training, tribal ecosystem knowledge Development, Evaluation, and Long- Term Outcomes of Environmental Health and Land Reuse Training— Part 1: Developing Environmental Health and Land Reuse Trainings for the Environmental Health Workforce and Their Community Partners
Laurel Berman, PhD Agency for Toxic Substances
and Disease Registry Sharon Unkart, PhD National Environmental
Health Association Michael Lewin, MS Agency for Toxic Substances
and Disease Registry Rebecca Labbo, MA Gina Bare, RN Alyssa Wooden, MPH National Environmental
Health Association Serap Erdal, PhD University of Illinois at Chicago Leann Bing Sue Casteel, MS Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Onongoo Amar, MPH University of Illinois at Chicago Tracie Jones Leorenda Begay Diné College
Background The definition of brownfields from the U.S. Congress (2002) refers to property of which the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse can be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. The National Land Reuse Health Program (Land Reuse Program) within the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) considers land reuse sites to be those sites that are slated for redevelopment but might have chemi- cal contamination. Such sites are commonly blighted, underused, or vacant properties that could be contaminated due to prior industrial uses or hazardous building materi- als, such as asbestos-containing materials or lead-based paint. ATSDR includes brownfield sites as a type of land reuse site. Because of the potential contamination of land reuse sites and brownfield sites, it is important to include health consider- ations in their remediation and redevelop- ment. Environmental health professionals are uniquely qualified to address commu-
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Volume 86 • Number 10
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