Environmental Health Education and Resource Centers (EHERC)
Click on an EHERC location for more information about that site
A pivotal task of the SB University Higher Education and Development Program in Iraq was to establish three Environmental Health Education and Resource Centers (EHERCs). These centers are located in the central region at Baghdad, the northern region at Mosul, and the southern region at Basrah. After the establishment of the three centers, two additional satellite centers located in Erbil, in the north, and Babylon, in the central region were created to extend the influence of the program in those regions.
Each region of Iraq is afflicted with unique environmental problems. Air pollution is a serious issue in the northern and central regions, while in the southern region the most agonizing issue is water pollution and depleted uranium contamination. The five centers will develop strategies for implementing environmental cleanup activities in the north, south, and central region. Governmental agencies concerned with the environment will have access to the resources provided by each center. This includes access to equipment and logistics supplies, internet access, access to the Stony Brook University database, and advice and guidance from SB University scientists.
Program Coordinating Office (PCO)
The Program Coordinating Office is located in Baghdad and is managed by the Chief of Party (COP). This office was established to organize the workshops, coordinate activities among the three Centers, and raise awareness of the Centers among governmental agencies and other academic institutions. This office will also be responsible for local human resources property control, disbursement of mini-grants and other administrative tasks. The Iraqi national office will be the main interface between the three Centers, the SB University personnel associated with the program and the HEAD program.
Center Functions
Each center has its own strategy to map out sites contaminated with chemicals, organic pollutants, or depleted uranium. Using the resources they have received from the program and in collaboration with scientists from SB University, they will identify different contaminated areas beginning with the most severe environmental problems.
The centers will provide advice to the Iraqi Ministry of Environment and the government in methods of creating a cleanup plan and implementing safety and preventative regulations to protect the environment in the future. All research will be performed by Iraqis using the resources in the EHERCs. SB University will continue to provide technical support and assist the Iraqis in sampling and interpreting the results of their findings. The data obtained through research activities will be used by graduate students and professors to improve future research methods and help minimize the effect of pollution on the Iraqi people.
Staff Training
The EHERCs will act as a training center for environmental health professionals in Iraq, and for graduate and undergraduate students who have an interest in environmental health and science. Each center is already supplied with an enormous library, including scientific books on environmental health, and literature and periodicals to help guide the training. Scientists from SB University will help guide the training whenever it is necessary.
Consultation
The EHERCs will provide consultation services which will advise the various Iraqi ministries, universities and governmental agencies on environmental issues. The centers will also advise the Iraqi government in their effort to institute a national environmental cleanup program. The government will have access to all the equipment and resources supplied to the centers through the grant. SB University will assist the centers in consultation services by providing additional resources and advice from various international scientists.
Services
The centers will provide environmental services for government and non-government organizations and private citizens. The end result will be less air pollution and a better environment for the Iraqi people. Services will be paid or unpaid depending on the established protocols and procedures of each center. SB University will assist the centers in their efforts to provide services to people or organizations that are in need of them.
Interventions
The centers will provide various intervention services in the field of environmental pollution in coordination with other environmental organizations in Iraq. SB University will work together with the centers to find the best solution if they require international help for intervention activities.
Community Education
The health centers will provide community education in the field of environmental pollution. They will utilize the resources from environmental organizations in Iraq to setup a very clear curriculum for community education in various areas. They will begin with schools and universities, and proceed to different industrial and agricultural centers. The educational services will be propagated through lectures, community discussions, and mass media such as radio and television. The ultimate goal is to educate the Iraqi community on issues of environmental pollution to protect the health of the nation in the future.
Environmental Collaboration
The centers will collaborate with different governmental agencies to organize environmental activities. The objective is to create a well-trained task force to conduct research and intervention activities, and to evaluate the success of environmental programs throughout the country.
Mini-grants
The project will provide mini-grants to the Iraqi scientists for activities in the field of environmental health and research. Iraqi scientists in different regions of Iraq will conduct research into environmental issues, beginning with the most severe environmental problems and create proposals for a mini-grant to help improve the environment. Each EHERC will review the proposals and a committee from SB University will decide which proposals will best benefit the environment and the health of the Iraqi people.
