Connecting Community, Partners, and Land Reuse: The Benton Harbor soilSHOP
Successful soilSHOPs are built on strong partnerships. On September 11, 2019, ATSDR’s Land Reuse Program partnered with Berrien County in Benton Harbor, Michigan and Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan to facilitate a soilSHOP event. Professionals from across varying disciplines leveraged community partnerships to provide the following:
- Free soil screening
- One-on-one education on lead
- Informational guides on safe gardening practices
- Blood lead testing to Benton Harbor community members
Other participants included local high school students, Lakeland Health, a health professional from Beaumont Medical University at Oakland University, Tetra Tech, and ATSDR’s Brownfields & Reuse Opportunity Working Network (BROWN). Partners from Michigan, including staff of the University of Michigan also participated. The Benton Harbor soilSHOP team screened 84 soil samples from 44 participants and educated 35 participants about lead contamination.
