ADVANCEMENT OF THE PRACTICE
Open Access
Identifying Characteristics of Local Governmental Environmental Public Health Programs
Thuy N. Kim, MPH, PhD University of Minnesota School of Public Health Gina Bare, RN National Environmental Health Association
Craig W. Hedberg, PhD University of Minnesota School of Public Health Nicole Dutra, MPH National Environmental Health Association Christopher Walker, MSEH, REHS National Environmental Health Association
Abstract Environmental public health (EPH) operates at the intersection of the environment and human health. The purpose of our project was to determine the factors that governmental EPH professionals consider when making decisions about their programs and workforce, including matters of structure, stang, and funding for local EPH departments. A survey informed by focus groups and interviews was administered to EPH professionals that showed a high proportion of respondents (76%) work in food safety or food protection programs, and at least 50% of respondents reported they spent time on duties in four other programs. Regarding the duties performed in the other EPH programs, the survey showed that 66% of sta and 73% of managers considered performing 3–4 inspections per field day to be somewhat or extremely reasonable. Across all programs—except emergency preparedness— there was general agreement among sta and managers that a bachelor’s degree in a field of science should be the minimum education necessary for sta. More than 50% of respondents recommended either state or national registration as a minimum requirement for the seven core programs. The dynamic nature of the EPH profession is demonstrated by the range of program activities that EPH professionals conduct on both a seasonal and year-round basis. The combination of a bachelor’s degree and a credential could allow for flexibility in performing duties of multiple programs and allow for transferability of skills between EPH departments. There are important commonalities across EPH programs that provide a basis for guidelines that can be widely accepted and scalable to the size and setting of EPH departments. Keywords: environmental health, Registered Environmental Health Specialist/Registered Sanitarian (REHS/RS) credential, local public health
David Dyjack, DrPH, CIH National Environmental Health Association
(NACCHO, 2024). This varied governance, combined with a lack of scalable guidelines for EPH functions, contributes to dierences in programs, practices, and funding that aect sta ng, workload, and priorities (Kim et al., 2023). Where resources are limited, com- munities can have increased vulnerability to environmentally caused diseases and disasters (National Environmental Health Partnership Council, 2017). While sta ng rates of full-time equiva- lent (FTE) employees per 100,000 popula- tion served have been used for public health positions, such as epidemiologists (Coun- cil of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, 2021), the wider array of services within EPH complicates assessment of the level of sta ng needed to fulfill the requirements for all of its programs (NACCHO, 2011). Only one EPH program, food safety, has national guidance establishing benchmarks currently, such as Standard 8 (Program Sup- port and Resources) of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA, 2024) Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards. Most of the other EPH programs, however, do not have standard guidelines for sta ng, training, and educational quali- fications and requirements. Unlike other components of the public health workforce, such as epidemiology and laboratory, that historically have had sus- tained federal funding (e.g., via the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Epide-
Introduction The environmental public health (EPH) work- force makes up the second largest portion of the public health workforce, the majority of whom are employed at the local governmen-
tal level (Gerding et al., 2019; National Asso- ciation of County and City Health O cials [NACCHO], 2024). There are over 3,000 local health departments in the U.S. with each oper- ating under dierent government structures
20
Volume 88 • Number 1
https://doi.org/10.70387/001c.141566
Powered by FlippingBook