Center for Occupational and Environmental Health at Hunter College

Item set

Title

Center for Occupational and Environmental Health at Hunter College

Description

Formally established in 1990, Hunter College’s Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEH) was founded with the simple mission of promoting community and workplace health. Over the course of subsequent decades, the Center’s efforts to serve this founding goal would see it involved in a variety of efforts that paired it with community groups, labor unions, public employees, students, and more. A research, training, and education center, the COEH tackled topics as disparate as workplace ergonomics and hazardous waste training to asthma management and lead poisoning prevention. In so doing, the Center offered hundreds of courses, published dozens of reports, and engaged firsthand with neighborhoods across New York City. Over the course of its existence, the Hunter College-based group’s footprint would stretch far beyond CUNY, impacting groups across the city, state and Northeast region.

Prior to the Center’s official creation in 1990, the group took early form in the mid-1980s under the cooperative efforts of founding co-directors, David Kotelchuck, associate professor and director of the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences (EOHS) program, and Stephen Zoloth, professor and director of the Community Health Education program. Upon joining a federally funded Rutgers University-based consortium for Hazardous Waste Worker Training in 1987, the pair established the self-sustainability and the funding necessary for the formal designation of a “center.” Though it would be three years before CUNY’s Board of Trustees granted them such a status, the group’s work with the Rutgers-based collective on matters of hazardous waste training—they were the sole New York representatives—established what would remain a significant function of the Center throughout its history.

In its early years, in addition to Hazardous Materials and Emergency Response Training that largely partnered the Center with state and city agencies, COEH’s occupational emphases also included its participation in a Minority Worker Training Program and the Susan Harwood Ergonomics Training Program. The former, a program designed to educate young people of color interested in pursuing careers in trade unions joined the COEH and the Carpenter’s Union in Manhattan. The latter, meanwhile coupled the Center with PACE (the Paper, Atomic, Chemical, and Engineering Workers International Union) through the early-2000s to provide training intended to “reduce the incidence and severity of musculoskeletal disorders” caused by workplace ergonomic hazards.

While the Center’s occupational training programs affiliated it with unions, government agencies, and private employers, its environmental efforts permitted instead a community-centric approach. Working closely with various neighborhood groups throughout NYC, the Center: educated Brooklyn school personnel, nurses, and social workers on the topic of lead poisoning prevention; contributed to a Citywide Community Asthma Management Program that sought to reduce the illness’ effects by empowering families and communities on management and prevention techniques; trained Community Health Workers to serve as vital intermediaries between neighborhoods and health professionals; and investigated pest control efforts in conjunction with the New York City Housing Authority.

In terms of project involvement, the Center reached the peak of its efforts in the early 2000s, a period that required eight full-time staff members, five part-timers, and several student interns in order to meet its many commitments. In later years, the Center would gradually contract with the expiration of several grants and the retirement of founding co-Director David Kotelchuck. In 2017, its last remaining effort continued to be hazardous materials training for state and city agencies, the very same effort that initially saw to the Center’s creation twenty-seven years earlier.

This collection represents a small, but varied amount of materials saved by the COEH since the 1980s. Included are documents that precede the Center itself, curricular materials, funding breakdowns, publications, agendas, photographs, and more. Together, they help to illustrate the many efforts of the Center over its important and impactful history. Many thanks are owed to Dave Kotelchuck for retaining and sharing the documents for inclusion in this archive.

Throughout the years, dozens of people worked at the Center in various capacities, all playing an indispensable role in the COEH's long term success. An assembled list of those faculty and staff can be found here.

Creator

Kotelchuck, David

Source

Center for Environmental and Occupational Health at Hunter College

Contributor

Kotelchuck, David

Language

English
Hunter COEH

Collection

Center for Occupational and Environmental Health at Hunter College

Subjects

Bilingual Education Buildings and/or Architecture City / State Relations Health and/or Environmental Issues Labor Unions Relationships with Communities Student Organizations

Time Periods

1978-1992 Retrenchment - Austerity - Tuition
1993-1999 End of Remediation and Open Admissions in Senior Colleges
2000-2010 Centralization of CUNY

Items

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  • NYSDEC 8-Hour HAZWOPER Course: COEH at Hunter College Training Schedule
    This two-month extract from a 2009 schedule offers a brief look into the distances travelled by COEH instructors throughout New York State for their annual 8-hour HAZWOPER (Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response) refresher courses. The class, which was required for all NYS Department of Environmental Conservation inspectors (and others) was offered consistently throughout the Center's history. Formally established in 1990 by CUNY's Board of Trustees, the Hunter College Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEH) was founded with the mission "to promote community and workplace health" across the New York metropolitan area. Working with community groups, unions, governmental agencies, private employers, and educational institutions, the Center educated hundreds of thousands over the course of its history.
  • COEH Grant Awards 2000-2016
    Produced by Hunter College's Office of Research Administration, this report offers summary of the various sources of funding and projects undertaken by the Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEH) between the years 2000 and 2016. While the projects cover a number of topics, several recurring ones, such as the "hazardous waste worker training" programs, would remain the bread and butter of the Center over the course of its history. Formally established in 1990 by CUNY's Board of Trustees, the Hunter College's COEH was founded with the mission "to promote community and workplace health" across the New York metropolitan area. Working with community groups, unions, governmental agencies, private employers, and educational institutions, the Center has educated hundreds of thousands over the course of its history.
  • COEH Grant Awards 1990-1999
    Produced by Hunter College's Office of Research Administration, this report offers summary of the various sources of funding and projects undertaken by the COEH between the years 1990 and 1999. While the projects cover a number of topics, several recurring ones, such as the "hazardous waste worker training" programs, would remain the bread and butter of the Center over the course of its history. Formally established in 1990 by CUNY's Board of Trustees, the Hunter College Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEH) was founded with the mission "to promote community and workplace health" across the New York metropolitan area. Working with community groups, unions, governmental agencies, private employers, and educational institutions, the Center educated hundreds of thousands over the course of its history.
  • Activities and Sources of Support for the Hunter-Montefiore Health and Safety Training Program
    This Appendix B lists the activities and sources of support for the Hunter-Montefiore Health and Safety Training program in 1985-87. Minimizing Asbestos risks and developing a statewide public employee Health and Safety training program were dominant topics for the group. The program was a precursor to Hunter College's Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEH) which was formed several years later. Formally established in 1990 by CUNY's Board of Trustees, COEH was founded with the mission "to promote community and workplace health" across the New York metropolitan area. Working with community groups, unions, governmental agencies, private employers, and educational institutions, the Center educated hundreds of thousands over the course of its history.
  • Community Health Worker Project at Hunter College - Project Update 5/23/02
    This update discusses several topics surrounding the Community Health Worker (CHW) Project run by Hunter College's Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEH). Included among these is a description of the progress towards creating a credit-bearing academic partnership between Hunter and Hostos Community College, and the announcement of Outreach NYC 2002, NYC's first conference for community health workers. Commencing in April 2000 with an initial class of 15 health workers from a variety of community groups, Hunter's program recruited local residents from New York City neighborhoods for an extensive 350-hour curriculum that educated participants on the topic of asthma, its management, assessment, and remediation. Following their training, these health workers where entrusted with providing outreach to their communities, serving as a "vital link between health care providers, community organizations, and the communities they serve." Formally established in 1990 by CUNY's Board of Trustees, COEH was founded with the mission "to promote community and workplace health" across the New York metropolitan area. Working with community groups, unions, governmental agencies, private employers, and educational institutions, the Center educated hundreds of thousands over the course of its history.
  • Environmental Worker Training Program Graduation Program
    This Graduation Ceremony program celebrates students graduating from the Environmental Worker Training Program in 2001. In addition to the conferring of certificates, students were recognized for academic achievement, attendance and professional development. Officially founded in 1990, the COEH spent decades dedicating itself to promoting community and workplace health throughout the New York area. It did so by offering courses on topics ranging from asthma to ergonomics for unions, neighborhood groups, public employees, and more.
  • Highlights from the Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (2000-2001)
    After a decade of successfully implementing activities promoting urban community and workplace health, David Kotelchuck compiled the highlights of the center’s achievements and outlined future plans. This memo addressed to Nick Freudenberg, in addition to stating the mission, enumerates the qualified staff and lists a roster of high profile partners, which include but are not limited to the New York City Housing Authority and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. COEH worked with public housing residents on asbestos, lead-based paint remediation, hazardous waste materials handling as well as trainings in basic skills such as math and reading. They trained personnel to protect their own and others' health and safety when handling hazardous materials and how to safely contain hazardous chemical spills and fires. Future plans included an integrated pest management plan to address asthma and environmental health problems, a needle stick training program for medical students, and a lead poisoning prevention program. Officially founded in 1990, the COEH spent decades dedicating itself to promoting community and workplace health throughout the New York area. It did so by offering courses on topics ranging from asthma to ergonomics for unions, neighborhood groups, public employees, and more.
  • The COEH Voice
    Published in November 2000, this newsletter from Hunter College's Center for Occupational and Environmental Health offers a detailed look back at the center's work in its initial ten years and also anticipates its future plans. The Center, which worked with various groups throughout New York City and State, offered a variety of initiatives, many of which are outlined in this document and were intended to promote community and workplace health. Officially founded in 1990, the COEH spent decades dedicating itself to promoting community and workplace health throughout the New York area. It did so by offering courses and reports on topics ranging from asthma to ergonomics for unions, neighborhood groups, public employees, and more.
  • 1992-1993 COEH Annual Report
    This annual report from 1992-1993 offers insight into Hunter College's Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEH) during its early years. Summarizing a year's worth of work, the document includes the Center's mission statement, a breakdown of published research, presentations, courses taught, and community outreach initiatives. Additionally, it enumerates the Center's sources of funding and personnel. Officially founded in 1990, the COEH spent decades dedicating itself to promoting community and workplace health throughout the New York area. It did so by offering courses on topics ranging from asthma to ergonomics for unions, neighborhood groups, public employees, and more.
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