A combination of education problems and pollution problems have gained Calhoun County the attention of Emory University physicians offering an ambitious proposal for the future of the county's at-risk children.
The county could become the first community in the nation to build its own coalition-based program to study and find ways to address the numerous problems that can damage the environmental and developmental health of children.
The program envisions identifying at-risk children at birth and following them through their formative years, identifying and focusing on their needs.
A group of about 30 people - comprising nearly every segment of local public service, as well as state and regional agencies - met in Anniston for six hours Tuesday to develop a plan for the program. If it succeeds the proposal could bring two major improvements: better coordination of social services and educational resources, and a science-based data evaluation of all of the factors that affect local children.
The Emory University physicians hope to bring the program to the county with the aid of federal agencies.
National studies have demonstrated that early intervention is critical for at-risk children.
At the outset of Tuesday's meeting, Anniston Mayor Chip Howell gave an impassioned speech, telling the group he felt the meeting "may very well be one of the most important meetings of the city."
Howell spoke of the severe contamination problems in the Anniston area which have resulted in PCB and lead Superfund investigations.
PCBs and lead exposure are both associated with developmental problems in children. Lead exposure also is linked to behavioral problems.
"We are not here to place blame
from this moment, we have to think about the kids," Howell said.
Dr. Craig Ramey, an author and multi-discipline physician who has done national studies of at-risk children, was a guest at the meeting.
Ramey gave examples of the benefits of early intervention, which he said has been shown to reduce mental retardation by 50 percent.
"The ones who need it the most are the ones who benefit the most," said Ramey, who serves on the Head Start Research Advisory Panel and founded the Civitan International Research Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
The proposed program in Calhoun County would gather data on a broad array of risks and likely would cost millions of dollars.
The proposal will succeed only if it receives full support from local government, corporations and charitable non-profits, warned Wayne Carmello-Harper, president of the Calhoun County Community Foundation.
Carmello-Harper added that a "solid" community-based program could attract deep-pocketed donors who want to give money to this kind of program.
The program already has received tacit support from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Agency for Toxic Substances, which provide funding to the team of Emory University doctors who work at the Southeast Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU).
"This has national significance," said Wayne Garfinkel, an EPA administrator for the PEHSU program who attended the meeting.
The Emory team hosted the meeting. Behind the scenes, the doctors have been building support for a community-based program for more than a year by holding rap sessions with public health and education officials, city leaders and advocacy groups.
Vocal supporters of the proposal include medical and social service workers from Jacksonville State University and Ayers State Technical College, an array of Anniston doctors, and the western Anniston anti-pollution group, Community Against Pollution.
Dr. Leslie Rubin, a PEHSU pediatrician who specializes in developmental problems, said he sees himself as a facilitator for the community. "I mustn't make it my (program). It's not mine."
Rubin said pollution is just one of many factors that may put local children at risk. Poverty, poor nutrition, and lack of medical or early education programs also were cited during the meeting as potential risks.
The fact that all these risks and more will be considered may help organizers enlist the financial support of local corporations, some participants said.
"Companies will be involved. We are interested in (future) jobs. We are the neighbors," said Dick Anderson, plant manager for Huron Valley Steel Corporation, which is located in western Anniston.
"I think we went a long way in putting the environmental issues in perspective. This is very inclusive," said Anderson.
By the end of the meeting, the participants had drawn up an ingredient list for the program - everything from a data-collection effort to establishing a tangible goal for improving educational attainment - and agreed to meet again in January.
For more information about PEHSU call the organization at (887) 337-3478 or visit the PEHSU Web site at www.sph.emory.edu/PEHSU.
