09 Environmental Health & Addiction

School of Population Health, Nutrition & Wellness has been actively engaged in community service and research both locally and internationally during the academic year 2019-2010. Establishing partnerships and building trust is a key component of community engagement. Community partnerships were established that enabled students and faculty to engage in several community projects. On August 6, 2019, Andrews University-Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry (AU-ATSDR) Center for Excellence in Environmental Health was established on Andrews Campus to address the health outcomes of the Berrien County residents, especially among the poor and vulnerable in Benton Harbor and other low-income areas. Through the center, partnerships were established between several federal agencies and local health communities that included representatives from ATSDR, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MIDHHS), Berrien County Health Department, Berrien County Food Council, BROWN members, Lakeland Health and Council members from Benton Harbor. Community projects on soil analysis for lead was conducted in Benton Harbor. Screening for lead was also conducted among children ages 1 to 6. International projects consisted of public health assessments among orphan children who serve as heads of households in Eswatini formerly called Swaziland, where 30-40% of the population is HIV positive. The purpose of the public health assessment was to inform the design of a village planned by the Andrews University School of Architecture for HIV impacted orphan kids in Eswatini, which experiences the 12th lowest life- expectancy in the world.