Copyright © 2003 by the National Environmental Health Association. http://www.neha.org/ E-mail:
[email protected] Permission to reproduce or distribute this report is granted when due acknowledgement is given. Please credit the National Environmental Health Association and send a copy of the publication in which information was used to Journal Coordinator, NEHA, 720 S. Colorado Blvd., Suite 970-S, Denver, CO 80246. 1 Background n September 11, 2001, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health in the United Kingdom was in the middle of its annual conference. Astounded by what had happened in O New York and Washington, the Institute took immediate action to assist environmental health in the U.S. in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks. The Institute donated a sum of money to the National Environmental Health Association to use in ways that NEHA saw fit. NEHA's first idea was to forward the funds to public health agencies affected by these events in the DC, Northern Virginia, and New York City areas. These agencies, however, indicated that they did not need the financial assistance. The NEHA Board of Directors discussed the appropriate use of these funds at length. A decision was made to have a professional writer prepare a "Lessons Learned" report that would examine the response of environmental health professionals to the events of Sept 11, 2001. A committee was formed to develop the request for proposal (RFP) that would be sent to professional writers and reporters, especially those in the impacted areas. The committee would also evaluate the RFP submissions and select the author.