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achieve this national credential. “Considering my environmental health career, two of my greatest accomplishments were bringing the knowledge of our profession into emergency preparedness and disaster response while serving as the public health lead dur- ing the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill and serving as incident commander for Alabama during a portion of the COVID-19 pan- demic,” stated Hatch. “Looking forward, I would like to continue to provide whatever support I can to NEHA and its programs to further our profession. I plan to continue my involvement with my state a liate and participate in NEHA functions, trainings, and conferences in the future.” Hatch has been the recipient of numerous awards from both local and national organizations: • Ansel C. Mullins Award Recipient, Alabama Environmental Health Association (AEHA), 1999 • CDC Environmental Public Health Leadership Institute Fellow for Cohort IV, 2008–2009 • Alabama Environmentalist of the Year Award Recipient, AEHA, 2009 • Frederick S. Wolfe Award, Alabama Public Health Association (AlPHA), 2012 • Howell Special Meritorious Service to Public Health Award, Southern Health Association, 2013 • Past Presidents Award, NEHA, 2014 • D.G. Gill, MD, Award, AlPHA, 2018 • Honorary commission as colonel in the Alabama National Guard by the adjutant general of Alabama, 2020 “I have enjoyed my 9 years as a member of the NEHA Board of Directors and am thankful for the experience,” reflected Hatch. “I hope that my service to the environmental health profession was valuable and please know it was done selflessly and with honor. I will forever remain a supporter of our mission, a champion for the cause, and an active member and credential holder. Long live NEHA and best wishes to this fine association.”
or recovery process. It provides information needed in the event of a wildfire within a jurisdiction, with potential considerations and roles for environmental public health professionals. Further- more, the guide outlines steps that can be taken before, during, and after a wildfire event. A number of guidance documents and weblinks are provided to review prior to a wildfire occurring. The guide also includes: • Response and recovery objectives for each environmental health area • Template messages • Sample forms that can be used to meet objectives • Recommended guidance documents • Suggestions for cross-sector partnerships and policies Check out the guide today at www.neha.org/epr-wildfire-resources. The grant portal for Year 3 of the NEHA-Food and Drug Admin- istration (FDA) Retail Flexible Funding Model (RFFM) Grant Program opened on August 16. This annual funding opportunity supports state, local, tribal, and territorial retail food regulatory programs to meet the FDA Voluntary National Retail Food Regula- tory Program Standards. These grants are supported by FDA under award U2FFD007358. Portal Open for the NEHA-FDA RFFM Grant Program Retail food safety programs can apply for a base grant (through one of two tracks) and up to three additional add-on grants (for Track 2 applicants and Track 3 grantees). Consider applying for: • A Track 1 Development Base Grant with options to be a mentee and/or attend a self-assessment and verification audit (SA/VA) workshop. • A Track 2 Development Base Grant with options to be a mentee, work on Standard 9, and/or attend retail training courses. • Optional Add-On Grants: » In addition to the options above, Track 2 applicants may also apply to be a mentor (instead of a mentee) and/or apply for a Special Projects Grant. » Existing Track 3 Maintenance and Advancement Base Grantees may apply to be a mentor or a mentee, request funds for retail training courses, and/or apply for a Special Projects Grant. Changes for Year 3 Track 1 and Track 2 Development Base Grants now have combined applications that include options to request Mentee and Track- Appropriate Training funds (both are now 3-in-1 applications). Track 1 and Track 2 Base, Mentee, and Mentor funding are now fixed-amount awards for 2024, with payments based on objectives met (no receipts required for reimbursement). The grant portal closes on October 11 ! Learn more at www. neha.org/retail-grants. continued on page 58
New Wildfire Guide Now Available
We have a new tool for you! Now more than ever environmental public health professionals are on the front lines of wildfire response and recovery. We understand that even with plenty of all-hazard planning, the reality of the environmental health response to a wildfire can be daunting. These rea- sons are why we have created the first- ever wildfire guide just for our profes- sion: the Wildfire Response Guide for Environmental Public Health Professionals. The guide is intended for environmental public health profes- sionals responding to a wildfire as part of an immediate response
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Volume 86 • Number 2
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