Module 7: Regional Case Example: SW Pennsylvania

Institutions — schools, healthcare systems, faith communities, workplaces, public housing, anchor employers — are where individual exposure decisions get standardized into policies, purchasing patterns, and built environments. Module 4’s intervention hierarchy places institutional interventions squarely in the redesign, substitute, and eliminate range that yields the most population-level reduction in exposure.

Below is an institutional-level intervention illustrative of current and emerging work.

CENSWPA’s Healthy Spaces Program — exposure reduction strategies for institutions
Intervention strategy type: Substitute; Redesign

The Healthy Spaces Program is CENSWPA’s institutional-level vehicle for translating consumer-product and cancer-risk-reduction opportunities into actionable practices across the everyday settings where people spend most of their time.

• Where SWPA stands. CENSWPA and partner Cancer Bridges, a regional cancer support organization, co-created a “detox” strategy for institutions centered on replacing products containing toxic chemicals with safer alternatives. The strategy combines operational guidance (for example, safer cleaning practices) with educational placards ready to be positioned to inform visitors about potential exposures — from flame retardants in furniture to toxic chemicals that are comprised within fragrance formulations in personal care products — and point them toward healthier alternatives. Cancer Bridges has implemented this approach across its headquarter facility where it hosts cancer patients and their families for a broad range of support programming.
• Where the work goes next. The resources developed are available on CENSWPA’s website and can be adapted and made more context-specific for additional interested institutions.
  • Example Objective: Reduce exposure to cancer-relevant chemicals in consumer products and indoor environments across SWPA homes, schools, faith institutions, and workplaces.
  • Example Intervention Strategy: Expand the Healthy Spaces Program’s reach across SWPA institutional settings through deeper partnerships with school districts, faith networks, anchor employers, and healthcare systems — with explicit prioritization of settings serving fenceline and frontline communities.