Pillars of Governmental Environmental Public Health | A Guide to Scalable Environmental Public Health Programs
Characteristics of a Successful Program Successful EPH healthy homes program generally implement the seven principles of healthy housing (keep it dry, clean, safe, well-ventilated, pest-free, contami- nant-free, and maintained) through a coordinated set of assessment, education, and intervention services. The program successfully identifies high-risk households for targeted interventions, builds capacity among housing providers and residents to address housing hazards, and advocates for policies that promote healthy housing at scale. Success is demonstrated through improved hous- ing conditions, reduced housing-related illnesses and injuries, and increased community capacity to maintain healthy homes.
Hazardous Materials
Meaningful Outcome Measures
PURPOSE
METRIC
Program effectiveness
• Percentage of identified hazards successfully remediated following assessment and intervention per year • Number of housing policies, codes, or standards adopted that incorporate healthy homes principles per year • Number of comprehensive healthy homes assessments conducted per year • Percent reduction in asthma-related emergency department visits or hospitalizations among program participants per year
Definition A hazardous materials program includes the oversight, regulation, and management of substances that pose sig- nificant risks to human health and the environment when improperly handled, stored, transported, or disposed of. Core activities include permitting and inspecting facili- ties that generate, store, or handle hazardous materials; responding to spills or releases; providing technical assis- tance and education to businesses and communities; coor- dinating with emergency response agencies; and enforcing relevant regulations to protect the health of the public and their communities. Characteristics of a Successful Hazardous Materials Program A successful hazardous materials program establishes clear standards and compliance requirements, maintains effective inspection and enforcement systems, develops emergency response capabilities, provides effective tech- nical assistance to regulated entities, and builds partner- ships with emergency management agencies. The program works to successfully prevent unplanned releases of haz- ardous materials while maintaining the capacity to respond effectively when incidents occur. Success is likely demon- strated through high compliance rates, reduced incidents, effective response to emergencies, and protection of pub- lic health during hazardous material events.
Workload management
Public health protection
Partner engagement • Number of individuals who receive healthy homes training per year
• Number of healthy homes training sessions conducted per year
EPH healthy homes programs can track metrics that demonstrate both improvements in housing conditions and resulting health outcomes. Essential metrics include track- ing assessment and intervention activities, physical housing improvements, health outcomes, and policy changes.
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