5104.0: Wednesday, October 24, 2001: 12:30 PM-2:00 PM

Oral Session

Environmental Health Services for the 21st Century

The past thirty years has seen an emphasis on environmental regulation. This emphasis on regulation rather than on environmental public health prevention has weakened the environmental public health system. A weakened environmental public health system is challenged to anticipate, recognize or respond to new or re-emerging environmental public health threats such as the Cryptosporidium outbreak in Milwaukee, the E. coli O157:H7, West Nile Virus and the hantavirus. We need to improve the capacity of state and local environmental public health programs to address current and future challenges. This session reviews some of the identified needs of state and local environmental public health programs and presents information on current program aimed at improving the capacity of state and local environmental public health programs aimed at building capacity, preparing the environmental health workforce and applied research. In addition, the importance of basic public health principles associated with water and sanitation in displaced populations will be reviewed.
See individual abstracts for presenting author's disclosure statement.
Learning Objectives: At the concluson of the session, the participant will be able to: 1. Articulate the need for effective environmental public health systems at the State and local levels. 2. Identify the three emphasis areas to be addressed in improving the practice of environmental public health. 3. Recognize the importance of water and sanitation as a factor in the global burden of disease.
Organizer(s):Pat Bohan
12:30 PMLocal Environmental Practice in the 21st Century
Beth A. Resnick, MPH
12:45 PMEnvironmental health services at the CDC
Patrick Meehan, MD
1:00 PMEnvironmental health services: Enhancing the ability of local programs
Patrick O. Bohan, MS, MSEH
1:15 PMDisplaced populations and environmental health services: Cholera in Zaire
Brad Woodruff, MD
1:30 PMHidden economics of the natural environment and mental health: A response to the IOM report on "Rebuilding the Unity of Health and the Environment"
Rhonda K. Rosenberg, PhD
Sponsor:Environment
Cosponsors:Academic Public Health Caucus; Occupational Health and Safety; Association of Schools of Public Health
CE Credits:CME, Environmental Health, Health Education (CHES), Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work

The 129th Annual Meeting of APHA