National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network: Crossing Borders with Data

Decision making for environmental public health practice and policy development is faced with many challenges. In particular, the role the environment plays in our nation's health is not bound by geographic borders. A critical need for informed public health decision making is surveillance data. Unfortunately, health and environmental surveillance systems lack the coordination and integration needed to benefit environmental public health decisions. Decision making is also limited by data gaps which exist in both health and environmental systems.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) is establishing a nationwide network of integrated health and environmental data. The National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network, or Tracking Network, will play a role in environmental public health decision making by filling gaps in data and facilitating the linkage of disparate health and environmental databases. Over the past four years, the Tracking Program has worked to build capacity for environmental public health within state and local agencies. Individual tracking grantees have demonstrated the ability to utilize health and environmental data to inform practices and policies regarding environmental health.

In the fall of 2008, the Tracking Network will begin to provide nationally consistent information across multiple states which can assist the decision making process for both public health practice and policy development. The presentation will include a demonstration of the Tracking Network, including accessible data, tools, and information for environmental public health practitioners.