Dear COMET,

My name is Andrea Muraskin and I am an intern at The Newtown Creek Community Health & Harm Narratives Project (CHHNP, a project of the Newtown Creek Alliance. The CHHNP is a non-profit community-based public health initiative which aims to document the public health concerns of both current and former residents of three Newtown Creek neighborhoods: Greenpoint, East Williamsburg and Maspeth. I was wondering if you'd be able to post some information about our study on the blog. I have included the text from our recruitment flier and some media links at the bottom of this email.

Once residents' narratives have been collected, they will be analyzed and common themes will be highlighted and compared with known area-specific environmental hazards. Using the information generated during analysis, a community-developed final report will summarize the findings and place the results in historical, social, environmental, and political context. They will also be available in written and audio format on the website www.habitatmap.org.

We are wrapping up our study in the coming months but we are still very much interested in speaking to new participants.

Recruiting flier:

Attention Residents of Greenpoint, East Williamsburg, and Maspeth,
(both former and current):

Are you worried about health problems caused by the pollution in your neighborhood?

Would you like the opportunity to tell your story?

If yes, then you may want to be interviewed for a community health project that aims to document the public health concerns of individuals residing in communities along Newtown Creek in NYC. The study will be conducted by a collaborative team from the Urban Public Health Department of Hunter College/CUNY, HabitatMap, and the Newtown Creek Alliance.

Participation will provide you with an opportunity to have your story documented in your own words. With your permission, the information you disclose will be displayed in written and audio format on a website (www.habitatmap.org) and in a written report that will be disseminated to community members, media outlets, elected officials, and other interested parties.

Community involvement is important. Make your voice heard!
If you have any questions or are interested in participating, please contact us at: newtowncreekstudy@gmail.com or
(718) 566-1359.

Please note: The study is in the concluding portion of its interview phase. If you are interested, please contact us as soon as possible.

Newtown Creek Community
Health and Harm Narrative Project


Media Links
Television: Brooklyn Community Access Television <http://briccommunitymedia.wordpress.com/2009/07/14/happy-200th-episode-brooklyn-review/>,
Radio: Leonard Lopate on WNYC <http://www.wnyc.org/search/?q=Newtown+Creek&cx=009801551925401469317%3Ak2kdlex-qi4&cof=FORID%3A11#1231>
Newspaper: NY Daily News http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/brooklyn/2009/06/22/2009-06-22_newtown.html

Blog: http://www.nylcv.org/ecopoliticsdaily/20091112_newtown_creeks_neighbors_speak_out_on_health_concerns

Andrea Muraskin
Outreach Intern, CHHNP

347.673.7955 (w)

Andrea.eve.mur@gmail.com