Promote Environmental Justice Working Group
Addressing toxic exposures and climate change threats to create a healthy tomorrow for families.
Creating a safe community where families can thrive requires us to acknowledge and address the harmful impact of climate change and environmental hazards through programs, education, research and advocacy.
This working group will take actions that include:
- Promoting consumer and provider education on environmental threats to maternal and infant health
- Creating toolkits to aid local and state emergency planning and ensure inclusion of pregnant people in their plans
- Advancing policy changes that support free testing and grants for remediation of current toxins and control of environmental toxins
- Supporting review and expansion of workplace accommodations for pregnant people
- Promoting data collection on birth outcomes to help identify major environmental hazards
Working Group Co-Chairs
Susan Kendig, JD, WHNP-BC, FAANP
Co-Chair of the Promote Environmental Justice Working Group
Women’s Health Integration Specialist, SSM Health Maternal Services, St. Louis, MO, and Director of Policy for the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health (NPWH).
Skye Wheeler
Co-Chair of the Promote Environmental Justice Working Group
Senior Researcher, Women’s Rights Division, Human Rights Watch
WORKING GROUP MEMBERS
This working group is comprised of over 40 individual and organizational partners, including:
News and Resources
What does environmental health have to do with maternal and infant health? This webinar from the Mom and Baby Action Network explores the intersection of environmental threats (i.e. toxins in your home or neighborhood, water quality, climate change and heat) and their impact on maternal and infant health.
Skye Wheeler, a senior researcher in the Women’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch, discusses the correlation between extreme heat and adverse birth outcomes with NBC 6 News.
GET INVOLVED
Every family can have the best possible start. But today, too many moms and babies are dying or experiencing serious health complications related to childbirth—and far too many are moms and babies of color. Only by working together can we confront inequities and ensure the health and wellbeing of every family.
