OEM-L is a free-access e-mail forum that has been growing continually since Dec 1993. It is a professionally governed community of specialists within Occupational & Environmental Medicine, who consult one another on a daily basis. Now a dynamic conversation among more than 3,500 subscribers from more than 75 countries worldwide, the forum produces about 10 messages each day, regarding any of hundreds of topics related to OEM issues. These include all of the following:

- Announcements of new regulations, web-sites, jobs and professional conferences

- Discussions of difficult cases, administrative assignments, and prevention challenges

- Review of new events in medical science, especially those reaching the public's attention

In early years, costs associated with this service were carried entirely by Duke Univ. Occup. Medicine and the Association of Occupational & Environmental Clinics (AOEC), and temporarily supported by the Mobil Foundation and a 1996 grant from the US Commerce Dept. When the list's founder and moderator moved to the NIOSH Educational Resource Center at the University of N.Carolina in Chapel Hill, the maillist, archives, and traditions were re-located in toto, in July 2006.

In light of OEM-L's unchallenged success and stability, external and ongoing support has more recently been obtained from commercial sponsors and the forum's readership.

The forum is an attractive candidate for support, because we have daily access to thousands of active OEM practitioners, both directly and through re-routed mail. Additionally, content reaches far beyond our subscriber base. A survey performed among our members showed that each routinely sends selected messages to more than 6 additional readers. Nothing else in our specialty has such immediate and focused  impact.

The forum's requested budget of $50,000 covers reimbursement to UNC for professional time of the forum's moderator and network support, as well as necessary travel expenses so that OEM-L can be promoted at each meeting of the ACOEM and of the AOEC. The forum is very well represented at these meetings, and professional presentations of OEM-L's workings and advantages are the chief source of new subscribers. AOEC's sponsorship (for the maillist and related web-work) already provide $25,000. Thus only $25,000 in total contributions will insure the continuity of the list, and will provide the sponsors with recognition from our community.

I welcome your efforts in relaying this request to any other appropriate decision maker. Additional questions are welcome, as is a tour of the forum's web-site. There you can find our archives, our rules of "Netiquette", our growth history and the list of present sponsors and colleague supporters.

Thank you for your efforts to keep this useful resource available.

Gary Greenberg, MD MPH

Topics include:

• Clinical challenges
• Regulatory difficulties
• Scientific news and debate
• Announcements of:
• Job openings
• Professional OEM conferences
• New WWW resources in this topic

Founded in December, 1993, growth has been continual. reaching more than 3000 current subscribers representing more than 60 countries exchanging more than 12 "broadcast messages" daily. Messages are frequently "echoed" To non-subscribers (surveyed subscribers each routinely send selected messages to more than 6 non-subscribed colleagues) To other forums (including IH-List, Canadian, Safety, AgHealth, Drug-testing, and British OEM lists) To the World-Wide Web, where archives and resources are continuously available at 5 separate sites and servers, including international echo-sites.

The community is actively moderatedand widely endorsed

• As faculty member in Occupational Health Nursing at UNC's School of Public Health (& affilated Duke Occup. Envir. Med. prg), Dr. Greenberg provides nearly daily content from external sources and continually monitors the forum's content and functionality.

• Unsubscribing firmly removes offenders who violate rules of decorum, successfully protecting OEM-L's professional tone .

• Support by AOEC, AAOHN and ACOEM sections represent the most important clinical organizations in Occupational & Environmental Medicine. Dr. Greenberg has served as designated editor for AOEC & ACOEM's electronic publications, including their web pages and serves on the appropriate oversight committees for each group.

• In 2000, the American College of Occupational & Environmental Medicine presented Dr. Greenberg its "The Health Achievement Award", its annual recognition of a "unique achievement in the field of occupational & environmental medicine".

 

• Commercial messages are prohibited

• Even valid announcements are restricted to single factual (non-hyperbolic) release

• Sponsors are acknowledged by short descriptions of their involvement, their corporate function and contact information. Claims, competitive remarks and graphical elements are forbidden.

Costs are tiny, compared to other means of reaching such an elite audience

• Alternative costs (journal advertising and direct-mail) are exorbitant

• Duke provides infrastructure and faculty support at minimal cost

Major Sponsors receive: Recognition on the OEM-L web-domain and listing in periodic broadcast sponsor acknowledgment messages to the forum. Disclaimer regarding any responsibility for broadcast content "Corporate" Sponsors who contribute more than $2,500 annually receive: Acknowledgment to our readers of sponsorship: On all broadcast messages for a period of 2-3 days on a rotating basis, footer includes name,web-link, mission statement Example Sponsor footer: Kodak Health Safety & Environment Program Our Commitment: To make measurable improvements in the health, safety and environmental aspects of our products, services, and operations...every day...every month...every year.   Free to display the 'sponsor' shield (seen at right) on sponsoring website Live web-links and logos on our entry and instructional pages Listing in professional presentations on this topic by Dr. Greenberg. Free to display the 'sponsor' placard shield (seen at right) on sponsor's booth at professional meetings Corporate sponsors are allowed to distribute one announcement message each month of a commercial nature, eg promoting products offered by their firm. Such commercial messages are otherwise STRONGLY prohibited (rules for the usual broadcast content are posted) and usually anger the OEM-L readership (not so if from a sponsor and obviously endorsed by the forum's moderator) .

Colleague Supporters are encouraged to contribute $50 annually (but amounts are optional). Supporters receive: Recognition on the OEM-L web-domain and listing in periodic broadcast sponsor acknowledgment messages to the forum. Disclaimer regarding any responsibility for broadcast content   Free to display the 'supporter' shield (seen at right) on sponsoring website Acknowledgement by UNC School of Public Health of a qualifying contribution to a not-for-profit educational institution, usually considered a tax-deductible event Benefactors who contribute $150 or more annually receive: Acknowledgment along with all other Benefactors as a collective Sponsor (in rotation with other sponsors) on broadcast messages, on all pertinent forum-related web-pages and in professional presentations on this topic by Dr. Greenberg.

How to actually contribute:

1) Checks payable to (and sent to) :

2) VISA / Mastercard payments can be authorized by phone or fax or PayPal:

Plans for future growth (through separate funding) are dynamic, including:

• Development of a multi-disciplinary, credential-requiring community of Occupational Health professionals to support shared disaster plans and to coordinate disaster response across regional and similar industrial sectors. OHDEN is the Occupational Health Disaster Expert Network, and has a website and impressive pandemic flu reference site.

• Active recruitment of OEM residents, including reimbursing their faculty-reviewed online replies to queries from developing countries, where exposures are more remarkable and resources (library, expertise, governmental support) are more limited.

• by e-mail,
• phone: (919) 966-9181
• postal mail CB# 7502, UNC School of Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC  27599-7502