NEHA News from the
Journal of Environmental Health

• June 2008: Ongoing and New Initiatives and Future Endeavors from NEHA’s Research and Development Program

• April 2008:  Epi-Ready Team Training Wins 2008 Food Safety Leadership Award from NSF International

June 2008

Ongoing and New Initiatives and Future Endeavors from NEHA’s Research and Development Program

NEHA’s Research and Development (R&D) program has been working on some exciting new projects while updating and expanding existing ones. The R&D program is designed to work with government agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to provide education, training, and research in various related environmental health (EH) areas. This work results in new programs and opportunities for EH professionals.

Summarized below are some of the recent R&D programs that have been initiated. They combine training, cooperation, and knowledge to expand and strengthen the availability and quality of training and resources for EH professionals.

Ongoing and New Initiatives

Annual Educational Conference & Exhibition Support Grants
NEHA has received two grants to support the 2008 NEHA Annual Educational Conference (AEC) & Exhibition in Tucson, Arizona, allowing NEHA to continue hosting a top-notch and innovative conference while reducing costs to attendees. One grant is for general conference support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Environmental Health (CDC/NCEH), and the other one is for a limited number of full conference registration scholarships from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Regulatory Affairs. NEHA has now received a conference support grant from CDC for eleven years in a row and from FDA for six years in a row. For more information on these grant programs, please contact Vanessa De Arman, Food Safety Specialist, at vdearman@neha.org or at 303-756-9090, ext. 311.

Biology and Control of Insects and Rodents Program
In collaboration with CDC/NCEH, NEHA will host its third Biology and Control of Insects and Rodents pre-conference workshop at NEHA’s 2008 AEC & Exhibition in Tucson. The workshop includes classroom lecture, interactive activities, and group discussion on biology and identification of vectors, vector-borne diseases of significance to public health, vector-borne diseases as bio-terror agents, development of strategic partners in rodent control, integrated pest management, health effects of pesticides, pesticide resistance, green pest management, urban rat control, mosquito control, ticks, and miscellaneous pest insects. In addition to the above workshop, NEHA is planning a regional workshop for fall of 2008. NEHA has accepted letters of intent from interested states to host this regional training, and applications are currently being reviewed through a competitive selection process. For more information on these workshops, please contact Susan Jerles, Project Specialist, at sjerles@neha.org or at 847-563-8242.

Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response Training Workgroup
Through a CDC cooperative agreement, NEHA and the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) are co-chairing the Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response (CIFOR) training workgroup, which includes representatives from various health organizations. This workgroup was created to address training issues and will review existing training programs and provide recommendations and areas of improvement. For more information on this project, please contact Vanessa De Arman, Food Safety Specialist, at vdearman@neha.org or at 303-756-9090, ext. 311.

CIFOR National Foodborne Illness Consumer Complaint System Pilot
Through a CDC cooperative agreement in association with FDA, NEHA is coordinating another CIFOR workgroup to explore the feasibility and usefulness of establishing a national foodborne illness consumer complaint system. Some responsibilities of the workgroup include: identifying existing resources, formulating general hypotheses regarding specific uses of data, and establishing a pilot national foodborne illness consumer complaint system for discussion. For more information on this project, please contact Vanessa De Arman, Food Safety Specialist, at vdearman@neha.org or at 303-756-9090, ext. 311.

Environmental Health Training for Emergency Response Train-the-Trainer Program
In collaboration with CDC/NCEH, NEHA is delivering emergency response training for EH professionals. The Environmental Health Training for Emergency Response (EHTER) train-the-trainer workshop is an introductory course that delivers training in emergency response for natural disasters or disease outbreaks. In February, a pilot workshop took place in Sacramento, California. NEHA, CDC, and the California Department of Public Health worked together to develop the program that was open to trainers and health department personnel in CDC’s Region 9 states. The course includes real-life situations from California disasters as well as information on how to include these situations in training. All course attendees received a toolkit of information to assist with coordinating an EHTER course in their area. Changes will be made to enhance the program and course delivery for the EHTER train-the-trainer workshop at NEHA’s 2008 AEC & Exhibition in Tucson. This workshop will be taped and available for viewing on the NEHA-CERT Web site after the AEC & Exhibition. For information regarding the EHTER program, please contact Christl Tate, Project Coordinator, at CTate@neha.org or 303-756-9090, ext. 305.

Environmental Public Health Program Performance Standards
In collaboration with CDC/NCEH, NEHA will conduct two one-day Environmental Public Health Program Performance Standards (EnvPHPS) workshops. The first one will be a pre-conference workshop at NEHA’s 2008 AEC & Exhibition in Tucson on June 21. The second workshop will be offered in partnership with the Connecticut Environmental Health Association at the Yankee Conference on Environmental Health in Mystic, Connecticut, on September 24. NEHA instructors will utilize content and educational methods that will enable EH professionals to have sufficient knowledge in evaluating their program performance as well as provide information to CDC on where to focus its capacity-building efforts at state and local health departments. For more information on these workshops, please contact Tom Dickey, R&D Assistant Manager, at tdickey@neha.org or at 701-277-4833.

Environmental Public Health Tracking Program 
Through a CDC/NCEH cooperative agreement, NEHA and the Association of State and Territorial Health Organizations (ASTHO) continue to develop the Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) program as participants in monthly program marketing/outreach conference calls. A significant contribution that NEHA makes in promoting EPHT is through the Web-based course, “Environmental Public Health Tracking 101,” offered on the NEHA-CERT Web site. This online course offers an overview of EPHT and individual enrollments continue to grow on a daily basis. CDC/NCEH now estimates that the public portal will go live this fall and will be announced at the ASTHO-National Association of County and City Health Officials joint conference in September. For more information on this program, please contact Tom Dickey, R&D Assistant Manager, at tdickey@neha.org or at 701-277-4833.

Epi-Ready Team Training Program
In collaboration with CDC’s Food Safety Office, NEHA’s Epi-Ready Team Training program is reaching more areas across the U.S. in educating and training EH and public health professionals in foodborne disease outbreak investigation and surveillance. To help deliver the Epi-Ready Team Training workshops to an even broader audience, NEHA and NEHA-CERT are working together to offer webcasts in conjunction with in-person training. In May, a pilot workshop was conducted to offer an accompanying live webcast to three additional remote location sites for the Columbia, Missouri, Epi-Ready workshop. If successful, this feature may be utilized at future workshops pending adequate funding. Also in May, an update on the Epi-Ready program was presented at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety Inspection Service Public Heath and Food Safety Summit in St. Louis, Missouri. For more information on this program, please contact Elizabeth Ostertag, Epi-Ready Project Specialist, at eostertag@neha.org or at 303-756-9090, ext. 346.

The current 2008-2009 Epi-Ready Team Training workshop schedule is as follows:

• Tucson, Arizona, June 20-21, 2008 (AEC & Exhibition pre-conference workshop)
• Jackson, Mississippi, August 26-28, 2008 (Train-the-Trainer workshop provided)
• Bloomington, Illinois, October 21-23, 2008 (Train-the-Trainer workshop provided)
• Sacramento, California, January 13-14, 2009
• Casper, Wyoming, April 28-30, 2009 (Train-the-Trainer workshop provided)
• Atlanta, Georgia, June 19-20, 2009 (AEC & Exhibition pre-conference workshop)
• Portland, Maine, September 15-16, 2009
  

Food Bio-Security Program
Through a USDA Cooperative State, Research, Education, and Extension Service (USDA/CSREES) grant, NEHA and the University of Minnesota are collaborating on a food bio-security project. NEHA is providing summarized course evaluations on food security from the Epi-Ready Team Training workshops and preparing a “generic” Epi-Ready course that will be offered at the University of Minnesota. This course will be an outbreak investigation team-training resource that can be accessed by all subscribers of the secure FoodSHIELD Web site. For more information on this program, please contact Tom Dickey, R&D Assistant Manager, at tdickey@neha.org or at 701-277-4833.

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Program
In collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (U.S. EPA) Indoor Environments Division, NEHA’s IAQ program continues to serve as a significant component of the national radon risk effort. NEHA provides two IAQ asthma triggers workshops each year to teach risk assessment and risk communication information about the health effects of long-term exposure to elevated levels of radon gas, asthma triggers, and other indoor air contaminants. The next workshop will be November 11-13 in Washington, DC, and up to 30 individuals will be selected to attend with all expenses paid. Instructors are recognized IAQ authorities and will focus on the latest health impact data and remediation strategies. The workshop will enable participants to learn how to develop and implement their own comprehensive community action program and obtain measurable results in the areas of outreach and public participation, identification, and risk reduction of IAQ contaminants.

In addition to NEHA’s IAQ workshops, we also continue to serve as one of many national partner organizations for the IAQ Tools for Schools (TfS) National Symposium, developed and hosted by U.S. EPA’s Indoor Environments Division. NEHA recruits and sponsors up to 50 attendees with all expenses paid, and this year it will be December 4-6 in Washington, DC. Each symposium undergoes a nationwide initiative to help school officials assess, resolve, and prevent IAQ problems. Innovative sessions address reducing exposure to asthma triggers and implementing an IAQ program in school facilities. Please visit the NEHA Web site this fall for information on how to apply for NEHA sponsorship to this symposium! For information on the IAQ program, please contact Susan Jerles, Project Specialist, at sjerles@neha.org or at 847-563-8242.

Land Use Planning and Design Program
In cooperation with CDC/NCEH, NEHA partnered with the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) to educate EH and public health professionals and local government managers about the strategic advantages of integrating health goals and land use planning and design decisions. NEHA and ICMA have developed four case studies highlighting exceptional and creative solutions in local government that integrate EH considerations into land use planning and design. Each case study will be published in the July/August JEH issue alongside a CDC/NCEH commentary about the project. The case studies are also available on the NEHA Web site and include: Tri-County Health Department (Colorado), Ingham County Health Department (Michigan), Seattle-King County Health Department (Washington), and Delaware County Health Department (Ohio). For information on these case studies, please contact Susan Jerles, Project Specialist, at sjerles@neha.org or at 847-563-8242.

Local Health Department Accreditation Roundtable
NEHA will conduct (by invitation only) a Local Health Department Accreditation Roundtable meeting at NEHA’s 2008 AEC & Exhibition in Tucson to discuss this reoccurring and somewhat controversial issue. The invitees will be a mixture of health departments currently adhering to state or local accreditation standards as well as those not adhering to accreditation standards. The purpose is to understand the benefits to accreditation, the obstacles that might be encountered, and to form a committee to explore the accreditation issue more deeply and to share the information with the membership. For more information on this roundtable, please contact Tom Dickey, R&D Assistant Manager, at tdickey@neha.org or at 701-277-4833.

Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems Program
NEHA has been participating in the U.S. EPA Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Partners for Decentralized Wastewater group for the past three years. This group is made up of organizations involved in the onsite wastewater field that work together to promote training, education, and successful use of Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (OWTS). Joint projects include the development of a training program for the Certified Installer of Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (CIOWTS) credential. For more information on the OWTS program, please contact Christl Tate, Project Coordinator, at CTate@neha.org or at 303-756-9090, ext. 305.

Retail-Foodservice Food Safety Consortium
Through a USDA/CSREES grant, NEHA is collaborating with Utah State University to establish a Retail-Foodservice Food Safety Consortium (RFSC). RFSC will help facilitate communication from the national to the local level and contribute to improving food safety throughout the nation. One of the many ways NEHA is contributing to this effort is through a RFSC Learning Laboratory “listening” session during its 2008 AEC & Exhibition in Tucson titled, “Food Safety Training & Education Needs? Speak Up!” For more information on this project, please contact Vanessa De Arman, Food Safety Specialist, at vdearman@neha.org or at 303-756-9090, ext. 311.

Future Endeavors

Ethnic Food Safety Research and Education
NEHA and Michigan State University have submitted a USDA/CSREES grant proposal to research and educate food safety professionals on ethnic food safety, specifically safety of Middle Eastern foods. The proposal comes at a very critical time, with the increased availability of ethnic foods and a need for food safety research and resources to address them. This would be a three-year project once awarded, and NEHA hopes to receive notification this summer.

OWTS Program
NEHA is working with U.S. EPA and partner organizations to develop another credential for the onsite wastewater industry. With the positive reception from the CIOWTS credential, it is time to explore expanding the credential program for the industry. Professional credentials help to elevate the industry with continuing education, setting national standards or practice, and increasing industry involvement in local regulations and education. For more information on the OWTS program, please contact Christl Tate, Project Coordinator, at CTate@neha.org or at 303-756-9090, ext. 305.

April 2008

Epi-Ready Team Training Wins 2008 Food Safety Leadership Award from NSF International

NSF International (NSF) announced that NEHA’s Epi-Ready Team Training is a 2008 recipient of the Food Safety Leadership Award in Education and Training. NSF’s Food Safety Leadership Awards program recognizes key individuals and organizations who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in foodservice safety. As part of its ongoing commitment to help protect the public from foodborne illness, each year NSF recognizes groundbreaking food safety achievements.

NEHA’s Epi-Ready Team Training workshop is a face-to-face training opportunity offered to environmental and other health professionals. The goal of this training is for all health professionals to work together in rapidly identifying and investigating a foodborne disease outbreak to allow for implementation of control measures that reduce the incidence of foodborne illness. The workshop includes lectures and interactive group exercises on passive surveillance, outbreak determination, environmental assessment, epidemiologic investigation, laboratory guidance, concluding actions, and food defense. To date, workshops have been conducted in 20 different locations and over 1,200 students in 46 states have been trained in the principles of outbreak investigation.