A ‘Communiversity’ Seeks To Reduce Local Environmental Hazards Author: Marianne Amoss

https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2025.01675 Pensacola, Florida, is known for its white sand beaches, but it’s also home to several historically Black communities plagued by environmental hazards. One such community, Wedgewood, has just 270 homes but seven solid waste facilities and four borrow pits—huge holes created by excavating soil or other material that are sometimes converted into landfills that can leach chemicals into the ground. Residents report high rates of respiratory illnesses, heart disease, and cancer that they believe are linked to these hazards.