Environmental justice is a rising social movement throughout the world. Research is beginning to define the movement and address the disparities that exist among communities exposed to pollution. North Birmingham, a community made up of six neighborhoods in Jefferson County, Alabama, in the United States, is a story of environmental injustice. Heavy industry, including the 35th Avenue Superfund Site, has caused significant environmental pollution over time, leaving residents concerned that their health and well-being are at risk from continued exposure. For years, pollution has impacted the community, and residents have fought and challenged industry and government. The United States (U.S.) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), and the Jefferson County Department of Health (JCDH) in Alabama have historically played a role in working with the community regarding their health concerns. In this manuscript, we describe a city entrenched in environmental injustice. We provide the history of the community, the responsible parties named for the contamination, the government’s involvement, and the community’s response to this injustice. Through this manuscript, we offer insight into a global concern that challenges local communities on a daily basis.

Women face unprecedented challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Emerging evidence suggests that women are unduly burdened by inequitable access to economic, health, and social resources during the pandemic. For many women, COVID-19 has presented new urgency to challenges and illuminates unique issues long encountered. Gendered roles such as family caregiving and frontline occupations increase women's exposure to COVID-19 infections and critical outcomes. To increase dialogue around COVID-19's impact on women, the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health convened a moderated virtual town hall on April 25, 2020, with 2 sexual and reproductive health experts. The town hall was the second in a series to increase public awareness of COVID-19's impact on vulnerable populations. This report highlights policy and practice implications that are particularly relevant for engaging key populations and delivering information to increase public awareness of COVID-19.

Using COVID-19-related survey data collected from residents in the city of Montgomery, Alabama, this study assessed the prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance, hesitance, and resistance, and identified factors associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitance and resistance. To analyze the survey data (n = 1000), a consolidation approach (machine learning modeling and multinomial logistic regression modeling) was used to identify predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and resistance. The prevalence of vaccine acceptance, hesitancy, and resistance was 62%, 23%, and 15%, respectively. Female gender and a higher level of trust that friends and family will provide accurate information about the COVID-19 vaccine were positively associated with vaccine hesitancy. Female gender and higher trust that social media will provide accurate information about COVID-19 were positively associated with vaccine resistance. Factors positively associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitance and resistance in the study’s geographical area are worrisome, especially given the high burden of chronic diseases and health disparities that exist in both Montgomery and the Deep South. More research is needed to elucidate COVID-19 vaccination attitudes and reasons for non-acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine. Efforts to improve acceptance should remain a priority in this respective geographical area and across the general population.

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advance­ment of Teaching describes community engagement as the collaboration between higher education institutions and their larger communities (local, regional/state, national, global) for the mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and resources in a context of partnership. This article describes the de­velopment, implementation and outcomes of a community-engaged grant-making program, the Community Health Innova­tion Awards (CHIA). The CHIA program was the by-product of a qualitative study jointly led by researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and neighborhood leaders from the surrounding communi­ties in Birmingham, AL. The competitive program provided funding to area organiza­tions that proposed creative solutions to on-the-ground health challenges. Since its inception, CHIA has awarded $356,500 to 26 innovative projects between 2012 and 2017. These awards have supported novel programs that have connected academic and community partners in addressing health disparities and improving overall community well-being in the greater Bir­mingham area. Ethn Dis. 2017;27(Suppl 1):313-320; doi:10.18865/ed.27.S1.313.