NEHA NEWS
well characteristics such as type of well, depth of well, and the people using the wells. Continued e orts to increase the number and frequency of well testing are needed, but new data collec- tion activities for wells and their users are also necessary. We initiated a conversation on Twitter on March 6 about the chal- lenges, opportunities, and priorities regarding private well data and what we can do to respond to emerging and existing issues. You can view the chat on @privatewaternet or via #PWNChat. • Flash Webinar—New Hampshire’s Well Water Dashboard and Ongoing User Testing and Community Outreach: This webinar held on March 7 featured Samuel Harris from the New Hamp- shire Department of Health and Human Services who shared insights on New Hampshire’s Well Water Dashboard and ongo- ing user testing and community outreach. • Panel Session—Developing Approaches to Estimate the Num- ber of Private Wells Within a Jurisdiction: In this panel session held on March 8, Judy Manners and Rose Galbraith provided an overview of a pilot study focused on estimating the num- ber of private wells and private well users within a jurisdiction, determining private well testing distribution in the region, and assessing the risk of contaminant exposures and water quality issues a ecting private well users. Thank you for joining us to celebrate the anniversary of PWN. You can learn more about PWN, including other resources and how to join, at www.neha.org/private-water-network. New! Self-Assessment and Verification Audit Course Series We invite you to participate in the new self-guided, online Self- Assessment and Verification Audit (SA/VA) Course Series. This series is now available to help your jurisdiction navigate the Vol- untary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (Retail Program Standards) from FDA. In addition, the series is available to you at any time. The series consists of 10 self-guided courses that provide rel- evant information and instruction for retail program enrollment or advancement in conformance with the Retail Program Standards. The self-paced series: • Walks you through the SA/VA process. • Allows you to choose which Retail Program Standard(s) to focus on. • Allows you to return to the content any time. • Can be completed on your timeline and at your own pace. • Includes content identical to the face-to-face SA/VA course.
• Uncovering Research & Creating Resources: While environ- mental health has been practiced for centuries, changes to our society and physical environment require our profession to stay up-to-the-minute on the evolving practice. We highlight our publications, discussions, and announcements that aid our members in meeting this challenge. • Supporting the Profession Across the Globe & Life Span: Two keys vital to the success of our profession are adequate support for our work and trust in our abilities and knowledge. In this section we explore our investments and programs that support profession- als who work on the front lines of environmental public health. • Elevating the Organization, Profession, & Workforce: Envi- ronmental health is often invisible—to the public, lawmakers, and even funders. Learn in this section how we work to raise the visibility of NEHA and elevate the workforce through communi- cation, marketing, and government a airs. • Connecting & Partnering for Better Outcomes: Our work can be tough and our resources light. We highlight the brain trust of environmental health professionals we brought together to address systemic, ongoing, and emerging issues to provide a place for support and the sharing of best practices. • Minding the Dollars & Data: None of our work is possible with- out funding to sta the organization, invest in communities, or generate data to demonstrate our e ectiveness. We explore our focus on meaningful financial tracking and data and IT inte- gration to enhance our ability to make informed decisions and provide relevant data to the workforce. The 2022 Annual Report can be viewed at www.neha.org/ annual-reports. The webpage also includes annual reports from 2016–2021. Anniversary Celebration for the Private Water Network We celebrated the 3-year anniversary of the Private Water Network (PWN) in March. PWN is a virtual community of practice for indi- viduals working to protect the public’s health from contaminants in private drinking water sources. PWN aims to be a one-stop-shop resource for peer learning and information exchange for profession- als who serve communities with private drinking water systems. The mission of PWN is to build a sustainable community for professionals who work to support private water programs and to build capacity to protect public health more e ectively and e- ciently. PWN also provides a way to connect with peers; to share experiences, insights, and resources; and to gain access to timely and relevant guidance for existing and emerging issues. To celebrate the anniversary and National Groundwater Aware- ness Week (held on March 5–11, 2023), we hosted a series of events focused on the challenges and opportunities related to stan- dardizing private well data: • Twitter Chat: Managing private wells for public health protec- tion requires data not only from well water sampling but also on
• Includes examples from sample jurisdictions. Learn more at www.neha.org/retail-grants-sava. NEHA Sta Profile
As part of tradition, we feature new sta members in the Journal around the time of their 1-year anniversary. These profiles give you an opportunity to get to know our sta better and to learn more
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May 2023 • Journal of Environmental Health
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