Over the past thirty years, the emphasis on environmental health has generally been on regulation rather than prevention. At the local level, environmental health practitioners are the front-line troops in the prevention of disease. However, the field of environmental health at the local level has not received adequate support for practitioners entering or currently in the field. National and academic leadership is needed to prepare State and local environmental health practitioners to address the many challenges facing the field. These challenges include an expanding population, increased pressure on the environment and environmentally related diseases. Most recent outbreaks of emerging disease are environmentally related. Cryptosporidium, E. coli O157:H7, hantavirus, and West Nile Virus are examples of environmentally related diseases for which local environmental health programs need to be better prepared to anticipate, recognize and respond. There is a need to strengthen the ability of State and local environmental health programs to respond to emerging disease threats. The National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) at the CDC acknowledges its leadership role in this area. Proposed activities of the NCEH to address the needs of State and local environmental health programs will be presented.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session participants will: 1. Recognize the importance of effective environmental at the local level. 2. Learn about the efforts at the National Center for Environmental Health/CDC to improve the ability of local programs to prevent environmentally related disease.
Keywords: Environmental Health, Local Public Health Agencies
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.