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Mid-America Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit

About the program

The PEHSU Program was established in 1998 by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Today the PEHSUs are a CDC and EPA sponsored network of interdisciplinary pediatric EH specialists based at academic medical centers corresponding to federal regions (www.pehsu.net)  Children's Mercy provides comprehensive pediatric environmental health services through the Mid-America Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (MAPEHSU) which is one of 10 Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSUs) located in the continental United States. The goal of the PEHSU Program is to increase awareness and knowledge of pediatric environmental health.

The MAPEHSU provides free consultation services, referral, outreach and education to:

  • Public Health Departments
  • Clinicians, health care professionals
  • Public health and medical trainees
  • Communities
  • Families

Region 7 PEHSU Director: Elizabeth Friedman, MD, MPH; efriedman@cmh.edu

For questions and concerns about environmental health matters, please contact the MAPEHSU at (800) 421-9916 or mapehsu@cmh.edu.

Resources for health care providers, public health professionals, community members

These resources have been made available by the MAPEHSU in partnership with the Healthy Homes and Healthy Schools Programs of Children’s Mercy Kansas City.

See Healthy Homes and Healthy Schools Training Opportunities for information on training courses.

Environmental health and schools

Healthy schools and COVID-19 resources

Healthy Homes factsheets and resources

Continuing education opportunities

Disclaimer: This material was supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and funded (in part) by the cooperative agreement award number 5 NU61TS000296-02-00 from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR).

Acknowledgement: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) supports the PEHSU by providing partial funding to ATSDR under Inter-Agency Agreement number DW-75-95877701. Neither EPA nor ATSDR endorse the purchase of any commercial products or services mentioned in PEHSU publications.