Colorado Dept. of Public Health and Environment — Rocky Flats

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) embarked on a nine-year study to determine if chemical and radioactive contamination released from the Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant during its operations caused possible health effects to residents living in surrounding communities. Because the studies, in part, resulted from public outrage about the secrecy of Rocky Flats operations, contamination and perceived health risks, it was critical to have a proactive public education and involvement program.

Sigler Communications performed the day-to-day management of the public involvement program on behalf of the state health department. Our responsibilities included explaining the scientific approach to calculating potential health risks in lay terms, putting Rocky Flats health risks into context for residents, broadening awareness and understanding of the studies' purpose, and encouraging and expanding public outreach and involvement.

Despite intense activist opposition, the Historical Public Exposures Studies were completed with far-reaching public acceptance of the results. Due to the extensive outreach campaign, we were able to more than double public meeting attendance for quarterly meetings, encourage positive news coverage on the studies' credibility, and educate and engage more than 2,000 community members to attend presentations given by representatives of the Health Advisory Panel.