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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Kenneth J. Sharp, BS and Thomas T. Newton, MPP. Division of Environmental Health, Iowa Department of Public Health, 121 East 12th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319, (515) 281-7462, ksharp@idph.state.ia.us
In September 2001, the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) entered into a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention entitled “Building Environmental Health Services Capacity in State and Local Departments of Public Health.” IDPH intends to improve environmental health service delivery by developing a model program, creating training opportunities and a corresponding credentialing system, and implementing a method of program evaluation.
IDPH will develop a model program for delivery of environmental health services based on the essential services of environmental health, the essential services of public health, and the core competencies to practice environmental health (essential services and core competencies). IDPH will distribute ten mini-grants to local environmental health programs willing to implement the model program in their service delivery area.
Training opportunities on the essential services and core competencies will be provided to local and state environmental health practitioners and local board of health members. IDPH will establish a credentialing system for training participants who demonstrate their knowledge of the essential services and core competencies. The certification program will support a new standard by which environmental health practitioners will be compared.
Additionally, IDPH will conduct a program evaluation to assess the effectiveness of the training and measure reductions in environmental risk factors. The evaluation process will include pre and post testing of training attendees, creation of an annual report documenting reductions in environmental risk factors, and verifying the number of local programs implementing the model environmental health service delivery program.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Environmental Health, Essential Public Health Services
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.