NEHA April 2023 Journal of Environmental Health

www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/10- essential-services/index.html Use this new resource to: 1. Inform development, assessment, and improvement of comprehensive environmental health programs and activities that address environmen- tal and public health priorities and issues. 2. Educate staff about environmental public health practice, connections with the 10 Essential Public Health Services, and how they are used to protect the public from environmen- tal hazards and concerns. 3. Describe environmental public health practice linkages with national public health department accreditation standards. Environmental Public Health and the 10 Essential Public Health Services

The 10 Essential Public Health Services FIGURE 1

1. Assess and monitor population health status, factors that influence health, and community needs and assets. 2. Investigate, diagnose, and address health prob- lems and hazards affecting the population. 3. Communicate effectively to inform and educate people about health, factors that influence it, and how to improve it. 4. Strengthen, support, and mobilize communi- ties and partnerships to improve health. 5. Create, champion, and implement policies, plans, and laws that impact health.

to addressing public health priorities such as ensuring health equity. Drawing on existing descriptions from EnvPHPS, updated language from the revised 10 Essential Services, and national accredita- tion standards from PHAB Version 2022, the new website from CDC describes potential ways for environmental health programs to connect with the revised 10 Essential Ser- vices. It identifies how environmental health programs can do the following: • Help deliver the 10 Essential Services in their communities. • Link to and support broader public health initiatives such as public health accreditation. The website identifies potential environ- mental health program activities and services that could support and contribute to delivery of the 10 Essential Services. In addition, these examples highlight possible linkages between 6. Utilize legal and regulatory actions designed to improve and protect the public’s health. 7. Assure an effective system that enables equitable access to the individual services and care needed to be healthy. 8. Build and support a diverse and skilled public health workforce. 9. Improve and innovate public health functions through ongoing evaluation, research, and continuous quality improvement. 10. Build and maintain a strong organizational infrastructure for public health.

Quick Links

environmental public health and PHAB accred- itation standards and measures. Examples are not intended to provide all definitive linkages between PHAB standards and environmental health activities, nor is it a guarantee of con- formity to PHAB documentation requirements. This resource is intended to support health department leaders, environmental health leadership, accreditation and performance im- provement staƒ, and other program staƒ in rec- ognizing important areas of connection. • Review the 10 Essential Public Health Services and learn more: www.cdc.gov/publichealthgateway/ publichealthservices/essential healthservices.html • Align environmental health programs and activities with the systematic framework of the 10 Essential Public Health Services: www.cdc.gov/nceh/ ehs/10-essential-services/index.html • Learn more about the revised 10 Essential Public Health Services: https://phnci.org/national- frameworks/10-ephs • Use Version 2022 of the Standards & Measures from the Public Health Accreditation Board for initial program accreditation and reaccreditation: https://phaboard. org/accreditation-recognition/ version-2022/

Connecting Environmental Public Health With the 10 Essential Services

Considering the revisions to the 10 Essen- tial Services and advances in performance improvement, the National Center for Envi- ronmental Health, in collaboration with the Center for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Support, developed a new website (www.cdc. gov/nceh/ehs/10-essential-services/index. html) with insights into the application of the 10 Essential Services for the practice of environmental public health. While this approach moves away from having a separate set of Essential Services specifically for envi- ronmental public health, it is an opportunity to renew guidance on environmental public health connections with the revised frame- work, strengthen the role of environmental public health in broader public health eƒorts and initiatives, and highlight contributions

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April 2023 • Journal of Environmental Health

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