Education and training

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Community-Based Internships to Address Environmental Issues: A Model for Effective Partnerships

Fran T. Close, PhD1, Jeanne Marie Zokovitch Paben, JD2, and Anika Foster, MPH1
(1) Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University; (2) Barry University Submitted 12 March 2010, revised 21 June 2010, accepted 23 August 2010 . This project was funded by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry through a Cooperative Agreement (5 U50 TS 473408) with the Association of Minority Health Professions Schools.

Abstract
Background: Previous studies have shown that environmental burdens tend to be inequitably borne by poor and minority populations. Statistics indicate that these populations suffer disproportionately from adverse health effects associated with polluting facilities in their community. To address these problems, public health officials and researchers should pay close attention to the experiences of individuals in local communities. Methods: The aims of the Community-Based Internship Program were to (1) provide a graduate internship that gives students the opportunity to utilize their didactic skills in a community-based setting on important environmental issues and (2) educate and empower the community with the tools needed to address their environmental concerns and protect their health. Graduate students from various disciplines participated in a 12-week internship program that involved community-based organizations (CBOs) working on environmental health and justice issues. Results: A total of 22 graduate interns were given projects that assisted the CBOs in creating environmental health awareness and educating communities about environmental issues. Each internship represented a unique partnership between a university, an environmental law firm, and CBOs. This equitable partnership fostered co-learning and capacity building among all partners. Conclusion: The opportunity to collaborate as partners on a community-based initiative resulted in benefits for all partners. The graduate internship program was implemented effectively because of each partners contribution and dedication to the success of the program. It is hoped that the lessons learned from this program can assist others with the development of similar partnerships that benefit underserved communities.

Keywords
Students, education, sociology and social phenomena, environmental health, community health partnerships, community-based participatory research, health promotion

he disproportionate burden of environmental pollution and degradation borne by communities of color and low-income communities has been a focus of

health effects and environmental injustice in disadvantaged and of-color communities exposed to hazardous substances. This commitment led to a partnership between ATSDR and the Association of Minority Health Professions Schools (AMHPS). The AMHPS is a nonprofit organization that provides support for professional education, research, and community service that promotes optimum health among minorities and the underserved.

growing concern.1 To address this concern, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) established a Minority Health Initiative focused on the health education needs of disadvantaged and minority communities. Under this initiative, the ATSDR committed to preventing adverse

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As an AMHPS member institution, Florida A&M University (FAMU), College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Public Health (IPH) received funding through the Environmental Health, Health Services, and Toxicology Research Program to implement a communitybased partnership to address environmental health and justice issues. The Environmental Health, Health Services, and Toxicology Research Program provided funding to address two significant public health problems: (1) disparities in environmental quality for susceptible and/or disadvantaged populations and (2) limited qualified environmental toxicology professionals experienced in community-based contexts.

law firm; and five CBOs. The partnership built on existing relationships. For instance, FAMU had previous relationships with WildLaw and two of the CBOs. WildLaw also had existing relationships with all CBOs. The funds dedicated to FAMU expanded these relationships into a 5-year partnership that represented mutual cooperation and responsibility. Table 1 illustrates the mission of each partner, demonstrating the shared commitment to improving environmental health in underserved communities. One of the aims of the partnership was to ensure that each partner participated fully in all aspects of the internship program, maximizing the unique knowledge, skills, and expertise of each partner.

Methodology
FAMU used the Environmental Health, Health Services, and Toxicology Research Program funds to establish the Community-Based Internship Program, which emphasizes graduate training and research regarding disease and health problems primarily affecting disadvantaged populations. The Community-Based Internship Program included the following partners: FAMU, IPH; WildLaw, a nonprofit environmental

FAMU
In 1995, the Florida Legislature created the FAMU IPH to address populations disproportionately experiencing adverse health outcomes. The mission of the IPH is to improve the health status of the poor and underserved through graduate training, research, and service. The IPH is uniquely located in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and

Table 1. Partners Mission Statements

Partners Mission University FAMU, College of Pharmacy, IPH Consistent with the College of Pharmacy, the mission of the IPH is to improve the health status of the poor and underserved through graduate training, research, and service. Environmental Law Firm WildLaw To defend the environmental integrity of human and natural communities through education, administrative actions, community capacity building, and litigation.a Community-Based Organizations NCNWO CATE TRUE FOCUS To protect the health, environment, and quality of life of Northwest Ocala, Florida. To promote protection of the panhandle population against exposure to toxic pollutants and chemicals. To protect the health, environment and quality of life in Taylor county by participating in activities inside and outside of Taylor county. To protect the health, environment and quality of life of residents in South Manatee County in the Tallevast community who may be or have been affected by the American Beryllium site and its contamination and resultant effects, including any current or former resident(s) who may relocate or have relocated.b To engage in activities and ventures that serve to revitalize and sustain the Greater Sylvania Height Community of Okaloosa County, Florida; to work with and for the benefit of underprivileged, at-risk, and elderly residents and stakeholders of said community to make the Greater Sylvania Heights Area a decent, safe and exciting place to live.c

GSHFPC

a b

WildLaw, About Us; available from: http://www.WildLaw.org/about.htm. FOCUS has multiple purposes all related to assisting those affected by the American Beryllium Company site but this is the one most relevant to environmental health and justice. GSHFPC has multiple purposes, but these are the ones most relevant to environmental health and justice.

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trains students in the Masters of Public Health and Doctorate of Public Health programs. Specifically, students are trained in epidemiology and biostatistics, behavioral science and health education, environmental and occupational health, and health policy and management. The IPH has a history of assisting communities with public health issues such as HIV/AIDS, infant mortality, and other health disparities.

CBos
Table 2 highlights the demographic characteristics of each community compared with the United States and the state of Florida. It clearly demonstrates that the partnering communities are of lower socioeconomic means and have higher percentages of people of color than the nation and the state. In general, the average educational levels and median household incomes are also lower in these communities than in the nation and state. The county-wide demographics demonstrate the disparity even within the county. Overall, the communities are historically and predominantly African American and suburban. The following section highlights each partnering CBO.

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Wildlaw
WildLaw recognizes that communities of color and low-income communities disproportionately bear the environmental and health burdens of our society. Through its Assisting Communities with Environmental Solutions program, WildLaw provides legal assistance, education, and outreach to communities impacted by extensive environmental injustices. Although legal services are a part of the solution, WildLaw realizes that litigation is not always successful, and that, even if it is, the legal solution might not be enough. WildLaw compliments its legal services with other services, including regulatory and legislative assistance, community education, community organizing, training, and capacity building for community organizations.

NCNWo
In the early 1970s, a charcoal factory began operating adjacent to several low- to middle-income neighborhoods. Citizens concerned about pollution from the charcoal factory and surrounding industries, such as asphalt production and wood processing facilities, formed the Neighborhood Citizens of Northwest Ocala (NCNWO). The NCNWO advocated to

Table 2. Community and County Demographic Characteristics

Geographic Location US Florida Ocala Perry Pensacola Tallevast Ft. Walton NCNWO1 TRUE CATE
2

CBO

County

Population

% Caucasian 75.0 78.0

% African American 12.0 14.6 53.2* 11.5** 41.0* 19.0** 48.0* 21.0** 85.0* 8.2** 78.0* 9.1**

Median Household Income 42,000 38,800 22,700* 31,944** 26,000* 30,000** 25,019* 35,234** 36,673** 41,474**

Median Age (yrs) 35.3 38.7 34.6* 43.8** 35.6* 37.8** 33.7* 35.4** 38.2* 43.6** 36.1**

% High School Graduates 80.0 80.0 67.0* 78.2** 67.0* 70.0** 67.9* 82.0** 81.4**

Marion Taylor Escambia Manatee

13,000* 258,916** 6,800* 19,300** 29,252* 294,410** 260* 264,002** 1,053* 170,498**

43.0* 84.2** 56.0* 68.0** 45.6* 72.0** 11.0* 86.4** 12.0* 83.4**

FOCUS4 GSHPFC
5

Okaloosa

88.0**

1 2 3 4 5

NCNWO: Neighborhood Citizens of Northwest Ocala. TRUE: Taylor Residents United for the Environment, Inc. CATE: Citizens Against Toxic Exposure, Inc. FOCUS: Family Oriented Community United Strong, Inc. GSHFPC: Greater Sylvania Heights Front Porch Community, Inc.

* Community demographics. ** County-wide demographics. Because of the size of the community, detailed demographic data were not available. Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

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the city council to do something about possible air pollution from the plant. As a result, city officials started a letter-writing campaign to state and federal regulatory agencies, state legislators, and congressional delegates to monitor the plant more closely.

spearheads efforts to address the contamination.

gShFPC
The Greater Sylvania Heights Front Porch Community (GSHFPC) works to improve the environment, housing, and living conditions within the Sylvania Heights and neighboring communities, including the greater Lovejoy community. The Lovejoy community suffers from nonexistent or inadequate storm water facilities, causing storm waters to wash through adjacent industrial and contaminated areas and carry pollutants through residential neighborhoods, where storm waters ultimately collect and settle. Additional environmental issues in this community include alleged use of former dumpsites as storm water retention ponds and contaminated landfills.

CAte
Citizens Against Toxic Exposure (CATE) was formed to push for the efficient clean up of the Escambia Treating Company (ETC) Superfund Site, infamously known as Mt. Dioxin. CATE also worked on the Agrico Chemical Superfund Site as its contamination had commingled with ETCs, because it was only a quarter mile away. In addition to clean up, CATE sought review by the federal government of the relocation program, which had moved residents closest to ETC away from the site. CATE obtained state and federal funding to perform education, health, and advocacy activities related to the ETC site.

PARtNeR RoleS ANd ReSPoNSiBilitieS

The partnership was based on the principle that individuals from community settings and institutions can work together toward a common goal resulting in mutual benefits for all those involved.2 Because the partners varied in backgrounds

tRUe
Taylor Residents United for the Environment (TRUE) was formed in opposition to the Taylor Energy Center, a proposed coal-fired electrical power plant. The plant would burn coal in Taylor County to produce power not just for local use, but for areas as far as 450 miles away. The campaign to block the proposed plant consisted of extensive organizing, policy, and legal activities. TRUE, one of the founding members of the Taylor County No Coal! Coalition successfully prevented the Taylor Energy Center consortium from obtaining the necessary permits for the operation of the proposed coalfired electrical power plant, thereby minimizing the risks of additional toxicant exposure to the affected community.

Table 3. Partner Roles and Responsibilities

Partner FAMU Roles and Responsibilities Secure annual funding from AMHPS. Manage day-to-day grant activities and reporting requirements. Recruit and select qualified graduate interns. Jointly supervise interns. Monitor intern progress toward established objectives. Assist interns understanding of community-based participatory research. Disseminate program information as needed. WildLaw Identify client communities that fit the Cooperative Agreement criteria. Assist in intern selection. Jointly supervise graduate interns. Assist interns understanding of community environmental issues. Monitor intern progress toward established objectives. CBOs Connect all three partners to the community at large. Assist in the graduate interns better understanding of the communitys needs and concerns. Jointly supervise graduate interns.

FoCUS
Local residents have spent the last decade attempting to get their community cleaned up after the discovery of groundwater and soil contamination emanating from a local plant owned by Lockheed Martin Corporation. This contamination includes a more than 200-acre groundwater plume that had infiltrated many homeowners private wells before disclosure of the contamination to the community. Family Oriented Community United Strong (FOCUS), a community group originally formed to address community revitalization issues,

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and expertise, each were responsible for different aspects of the internship program. FAMU provided appropriately educated and skilled graduate interns, managed grant activities, provided technical assistance, and jointly supervised intern activities. WildLaw identified client communities, facilitated the relationship between all parties, and jointly supervised intern activities. The CBOs housed the interns, directed internship activities, and connected all three parties with the community at large. This helped all partners to better understand the communitys needs and concerns. All partners developed and approved an extensive list of objectives and supporting activities for the internship program. Additional information regarding roles and responsibilities are outlined in Table 3.

the iNteRNShiP PRogRAM

The community-based internship program emphasized graduate training and development of research on diseases and health problems that primarily affect underserved populations. The aims of the program were to (1) provide graduate students with internships that utilized their didactic skills in a community-based setting on important environmental issues and (2) educate and empower the community with tools to address their health and environmental concerns. Specific learning objectives for the internship program were to (1) increase graduate students knowledge and expertise in working with underserved communities, (2) expose graduate students to environmental justice issues, and (3) increase the communitys knowledge of environmental issues. To accom-

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Figure 1. Community-Based Internship Program Placement Sites

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plish these aims and objectives, graduate interns worked in specific communities with documented environmental problems. Full-time graduate students in public health, environmental sciences, or education were eligible to apply for the internship program. The internship was advertised via flyers, at the School of Graduate Studies and on the FAMU-Info email system. Students expressed interest in the program through the submission of a standardized application packet, which included a statement of interest, transcript, three letters of recommendation and a resume. Annually, 15 to 20 students applied for the internship program. After an internal review of the applications, qualified students then underwent two rounds of interviews, first with FAMU, then jointly with WildLaw and FAMU. After the interviews, students were selected and offered a position in the program. Next, the students met with the executive directors of the CBOs to determine the best fit for both the student and the CBO. Each CBO approved its graduate intern placements before initiation of the program. Graduate interns were then oriented to the CBO program objectives and expectations. During the spring semester, the graduate interns relocated to their internship site for a period of 16 weeks. Figure 1 illustrates the distance of CBO sites from FAMU, which ranged from 52 to 322 miles. As a condition of the internship program, interns were required to work at their respective CBOs 20 hours per week. As an experiential learning program, the community-based internship program was required to adhere to FAMU graduate assistanceship/fellowship guidelines. According to these guidelines, graduate students participating in such programs can not work more than a total of 20 hours per week during the academic year. The graduate interns complied with these guidelines and did not exceed the maximum number of hours per week. The graduate internship was during the spring semester; however, some students extended beyond this time to complete the planned activities. Although this extension was approved for one semester (12 weeks), the number of students requiring more time was not significant. During the extension, graduate interns continued to follow FAMU graduate assistanceship/ fellowship guidelines. Each intern was required to meet with both the WildLaw and FAMU preceptors biweekly to discuss the status of their activities. Graduate interns were provided

with technical assistance for their projects by the preceptors or FAMU IPH faculty. The activities for each graduate intern differed based on the needs of the CBO. Some examples of the activities included conducting research and outreach activites, administering community-based health surveys, and organizing environmental workshops and health fairs. Table 4 highlights the specific tasks performed in each CBO. Most interns received credit hours for participation in the internship program. For Masters of Public Health students, the internship program was one of their culminating experiences for which they received six credit hours. The doctoral student in environmental sciences also received similar internship credit for participation in the internship program. All of the graduate interns received a stipend to facilitate housing, transportation, and other internship expenses. Both formative and summative evaluations were conducted to investigate the process of delivering the program and whether the program caused demonstrable effects on specifically defined outcomes. Quantitative and qualitative methods were utilized by all parties to inform this process. The formative evaluation was conducted as a process evaluation, and consisted of interviews with CBO executive directors, quarterly and final reports produced by interns for FAMU, narrative and timekeeping reports by interns to all partners, and regular partner meetings. The AMHPS hired an outside evaluator to conduct a summative evaluation, which consisted of interviews and surveys with stakeholders.

ReSUltS
A total of 22 graduate students participated in the internship program. The graduate interns activities at their assigned CBO impacted the interns practical application base and skill level and the CBOs capacity to provide services to the targeted communities. These internship activities assisted the CBOs in creating environmental health awareness and educating the community on environmental issues that impacted them.

Community Benefits
All of the affected CBOS and communities benefitted from the participation of the graduate interns. Community benefits varied in type and extent depending on a number of factors, including duration of student involvement, the type

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Table 4. Graduate Internship Program Objectives and Activities Chart

Community/CommunityBased Partner Ocala/NCNWO Environmental Issue Pollution from charcoal production and wood processing facilities Internship Objectives Provide educational materials for the citizens of Ocala Develop contact list for NCNWO Internship Activities Drafted letter to ATSDR concerning environmental assessment Analyzed data from 392 surveys regarding key community environmental concerns Participated as exhibitor at Environmental Health Awareness fair in Ocala Perry/TRUE Proposed coal-fired power plantair and water pollution and waste disposal Organize, build, and facilitate a coalition of community, environmental, health, and other groups to combat efforts Develop and maintain database of coalition partners Provide community friendly educational materials regarding health effects of coal-fired power plants on communities Organized the Taylor County No Coal Coalition Created outline and timeline of activities for communities adversely impacted by power plant sitings Developed 2 tailored Taylor County fact sheets about coal for communities and coalitions Submitted comments for the laws, statues and acts related to proposed coal-fired power plant Accompanied community partners to regional planning council meetings to present information Pensacola/CATE Air pollution and toxic sites in community Assist community regarding Drafted 6-month letter to CDC on CATE relevant environmental and health activities issues Developed coalition database Provide research and education Assisted in development of Safe Air Petition outreach activities on air pollution Assisted with community air pollution and related respiratory problems monitoring efforts Design community education and Provided comments to EPA on ETC outreach materials Superfund site Provide independent research of community Design and administer community based health survey Assist Lovejoy community with education or public health activities Tallevast/FOCUS Contamination of soil and groundwater of the community by Lockheed Martin Assist in community activities relevant to environmental health Develop database that demonstrates health status of Tallevast community using ArcView Design community friendly educational materials Conducted research on health issues and environment concerns that informed educational packets and community action plans Revised communities existing Environmental Impacts of Pollution Assessment Questionnaire Conducted independent research on Tallevast community; assist FOCUS in their industry research Created database of current electronic records related to Tallevast community Assisted in development of materials to support community outreach efforts Participated in community meetings

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Lovejoy/GSHFPC

Industrial parks, military facility, landfills, and potential Superfund site located nearby

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of activities performed, and the skills of the specific student. Many of these benefits were observed in terms of increased capacity to address environmental health and justice issues. CBOs were also better prepared to inform the community and decision makers about the environmental and health risks associated with environmental justice issues. Table 5 provides a brief overview of community benefits that resulted from the internship program. The following sections highlight some of the community-specific benefits. NCNWO received extensive information and established contacts with local health care providers through participation in the health fair organized by the graduate intern. The CBO educated a broader audience about their concerns by conducting events and activities at the health fair. The graduate interns letter to the ATSDR requesting that the agency perform a community health assessment brought national attention to the communitys issues. The graduate intern also reviewed the local county health departments health survey, which helped the community to better understand the empirical evidence of their health consequences, and how to better quantify

and qualify the communitys concerns. The NCNWO also benefitted from the interns development of organizational and educational materials for future dissemination. TRUE benefitted from the graduate interns efforts to organize and establish the No Coal! Coalition, which brought additional people and expertise into the communitys efforts. The graduate interns research allowed TRUE to better participate in decision making surrounding the coal-fired electrical power plant and to better inform the community and decision makers about the environmental and health risks associated with the proposed coal-fired electrical plant. CATE gained from graduate intern-produced educational materials regarding air pollution and health risks in their community. Community monitoring and sampling in Pensacola requires a strict chain of custody of records and samples as well as good maintenance and analysis of the results. Because the CBO had limited staff, the graduate interns assistance with these activities was essential. The graduate intern also assisted with grant reporting to the ATSDR. FOCUS received a graduate intern-developed brochure

Table 5. Community Benefits

Community-Based Organization NCNWO Outcomes/Benefits Increased ability to educate broader audiences about the environmental justice issues and consequences. Establishment of contacts with local health care providers through participation in intern-organized health fair. Increased awareness of the community environmental issue by decision makers. Increased knowledge and understanding of empirical evidence related to their health concerns. Development of organizational and health education materials. Increased knowledge and ability to conduct needs assessments. TRUE Increased ability to communicate environmental and health information to the community and other target audiences. Increased knowledge and understanding of empirical evidence related to their health concerns. Development of organizational and health education materials. CATE Production of health education materials regarding pollution and health risks in the community. Assistance with grant reporting, data collection, analysis, and monitoring of environmental samples. FOCUS Assistance in the development of campaign tools. Development of organizational and health education materials. GIS mapping provided essential information to the community. GSHFPC Assistance in the development of campaign tools. Development of community-based health survey.

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and newsletter to support community outreach efforts. GIS research and mapping was conducted by another graduate intern that was beyond the expertise of the CBO. This research provided essential information regarding the dispersion of atmospheric pollutants within the community. GSHFPC greatly benefitted from an intern-developed, community-based health survey. It was the first time a community-wide health survey was conducted at that magnitude. Adding the health assessment was critical to the community and the campaign for health issues and environmental concerns. Some of these tasks have very tangible, long-lasting benefits to the communities. For instance, interns developed newsletter templates and fact sheets that the communities have been able to continue to use long beyond the term of the internship. Further, a number of these activities resulted in training and education for the CBO and, in some instances, the community at large. The involvement of graduate interns with skills and expertise provided specific benefits, such as input on health outcomes, health disparities, and health resources. The sheer nature of having more support resulted in completion of activities that otherwise would not have been possible without the graduate interns.

health needs of affected communities, especially those of disadvantaged and minority populations. The following comments were extracted from graduate intern evaluations regarding the program:
Through the internship, I was able to see another side encompassing environmental health. The internship was a great tool to educate both interns and the community about environmental issues! The internship program facilitated maximum community and intern educational attainment! This internship was an experience that I will never forget!

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FAMU Benefits
FAMU also benefited from the implementation of this partnership. The distinctiveness of this partnership resulted in long-term funding from the ATSDR, which supported the mission of IPH. In addition, six graduate students from IPH have interned at the ATSDR since the inception of the internship program. Two past interns are currently employed by the ATSDR. Other interns have also continued their education by either attending graduate school to obtain the PhD in environmental and regulatory toxicology, or medical school, with an emphasis on environmental and occupational medicine. FAMU is currently using the methodology and lessons learned from this partnership to implement a new grant funded graduate internship program.

graduate intern Benefits

The community-based internship program provided invaluable opportunities for graduate interns to acquire experiences in community environments that included research, political action, community organization, and environmental health information dissemination. Graduate interns acquired expertise in conducting community meetings, skills in selecting and disseminating environmental information, and practical experience in organizing community action. Other benefits included increased verbal skills and presentation skills. Graduate interns showcased these skills and outcomes at colloquiums and research forums such as the FAMU Student Research Forum, the Annual American Public Health Association Meeting, the Society of Toxicology Meeting, and the AMHPS Biomedical Symposium. In addition, some graduate interns developed manuscripts as a result of their participation in the program.
3

Wildlaw Benefits
WildLaw benefitted more generally from the internship program. As a nonprofit environmental law firm, WildLaw is under-resourced to address all environmental health and justice issues facing their clients. WildLaw believes in a multiprong strategy that includes legal assistance as well as assistance in other areas such as community education, community outreach and empowerment, community training, and organizational capacity building. The addition of other, non-legal partners allows WildLaw to focus more on legal issues, and allows its limited non-legal staff to work with those partners to provide other services. Bringing in partners with specialized health or scientific skills is pivotal to addressing the health issues facing environmental justice communities.

Overall, the interns are now better equipped to utilize approaches that will meet the immediate environmental

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By partnering with entities like FAMU, WildLaw is able to provide its services to more communities.

tion in the program. Increased funding could enhance the CBOs and provide resources for the environmental justice campaigns. Additionally, training and resource support for the CBOs to continue activities begun by the graduate interns may result in greater long-term sustainability of those activities. Several graduate interns trained CBOs to produce newsletters and fact sheets. Many of these CBOs have been able to continue with these projects. However, the CBO was not trained on computer mapping and, therefore, was not able to continue that project after the internship ended. Future training and development of a handbook should be incorporated to address some of these challenges. Last, the CBOs were not as active in the selection of graduate interns because of capacity issues. When they were active, they were not very selective of the graduate interns because they so greatly desired assistance. A challenge identified earlier, regarding delay in funding and student placement, should also be addressed to ensure that the graduate interns and the CBOs have the full term of the internship. This would decrease the pressure to perform activities in a shorter timeframe than anticipated. Because structure and capacity greatly differ among CBOs, more initial efforts should be put into understanding common CBO structures. Those that have been working on their campaigns for longer periods may have developed resources to staff the organization, whereas others rely solely on volunteers. Although graduate interns can be well utilized by any of these CBOs, more robust protocols need to be established to ensure consistency with CBO staff and volunteers. This community-based internship program demonstrates an effective partnership between a university, an environmental law firm, and five CBOs. It is hoped that the lessons learned here can benefit others in developing similar partnerships that address environmental health issues in underserved communities.

diSCUSSioN
This unique partnership between a university, an environmental law firm, and CBOs resulted in several successes. One key success was active participation from every partner. The result was an equitable partnership which fostered co-learning and capacity building among all partners. For example, graduate interns were able to apply seminary knowledge to community-based settings and CBOs learned new health education and research skills. CBOs were also able to have graduate interns effectively implement objectives and desired activities in which they lacked manpower to execute. In some communities, graduate interns played a primary role in the organization, development, and facilitation of coalitions. After identifying various issues and topics that needed to be clarified or otherwise addressed in their communities, CBOs repeatedly requested assistance from FAMU. Graduate interns were requested to help communities to interpret public health information and develop environmental health education materials. As a result of this eagerness, graduate interns were fully integrated into CBO activities. Despite its successes, the partnership experienced some challenges. Funding delays impacted the timeliness of student placements with the CBOs. The needs of the CBOs were sometimes too great to be fully accomplished during the time of the internship. In some instances, this was because the CBO lacked the capacity to host an intern. Some CBOs did not have the facilities and the necessary equipment (laptop, printers, desks, etc.) to host an intern. In these cases, interns worked off-site at WildLaw or FAMU. In other instances, this was because graduate interns were often enrolled in classes while simultaneously performing the internship work, which prevented them from being outside of Tallahassee for extended periods of time. Last, the development of community capacity to sustain activities conducted by graduate interns was a major challenge, largely owing to limited funding and resources for the CBOs. The experience of this partnership led to lessons that can improve the efficacy of future partnerships of this nature. Although the CBOs received substantial compensation to defray administrative costs associated with the internship, additional incentives should be provided for their participa-

ACKNoWledgMeNtS
Thanks are extended to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and the Association of Minority Health Professions Schools (AMHPS) for their financial and technical support during the cooperative agreement. The authors would also like to thank WildLaw and these community-based organizations: Neighborhood Citizens of Northwest Ocala, Inc. (NCNWO), Citizens Against Toxic Exposure, Inc. (CATE), Taylor Residents United for the Environment, Inc.

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(TRUE), Family Oriented Community United Strong, Inc. (FOCUS), and the Greater Sylvania Heights Front Porch Community, Inc. (GSHFPC) for their participation and contributions to the partnership. Last but not least, the authors would like to recognize the following individuals for their assistance with the development of this article: Barry University 3L student: Karen Greene; Barry 2009 law graduate: Sarah Schwemin; FAMU MPH student: Ledia Wilder; and CBO representative reviewers: Diane Whitfield (TRUE), Francine Ishmael (CATE), and Ruth Reed (NCNWO).

ReFeReNCeS
1. Institute of Medicine, Committee on Environmental Justice. Towards environmental justice: research, education, and health policy needs. Washington (DC): National Academy Press; 1999. p. 137. Suarez-Balcazar Y, Harper GW, Lewis R. An interactive and contextual model of community-university collaborations for research and action. Health Educ Behav. 2005;32:84-101. Stokes S, Zokovitch J, Hood D, Close F. Blueprint for Communicating Risk and Preventing Environmental Injustice. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. 2010;21:35-52.

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2.

3.

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