Using the Environmental Public Health Performance Standards to improve environmental health infrastructure and services to tribal communities

The Albuquerque Area Division of Environmental Health Services (DEHS) piloted the use of the new national Environmental Public Health Standards in 2007 with one of its field offices. The DEHS, which covers a multi-state area in the Southwest, has implemented the 10 Essential Environmental Health Services (ES) into its operating philosophy and has been using the ES as its systems framework for over five years. Since the EnvPHPS are based on the 10 ES, using the Standards was a natural program extension.

The overall local DEHS program scored well. The three lowest scoring standards were chosen for performance improvement: 1. Monitor environmental and health status to identify and solve community environmental health problems; 5. Develop policies and plans that support individual and community environmental health efforts; and 9. Evaluate the effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of personal and population based environmental health services. Initiatives for improvement have included enhancement of data systems and analysis, development of a community environmental health profile methodology, strategic planning, and customer satisfaction assessments. There have been obstacles along the way, but the DEHS is committed to continued use of the Standards to improve its program. This session will identify the benefits of using this new national tool, and will provide information to other tribal, state, and local agencies interested in using the tool to improve their environmental health services.