more contact with community members than any other part of the public health system. On a given day, an environmental health pro- fessional could have face-to-face contact with dozens of community members (e.g., regu- lated communities, peers in public health, city and county planning sta, elected and appointed ocials, community members). So how can we all become more active as ambassadors of environmental health? How can we work to address the lack of public rec- ognition and understanding of the important roles and functions environmental health plays in disease prevention, hazard reduction, and a variety of work that improves community health outcomes? We need to seek opportu- nities to make our work more visible through improving internal (e.g., leaders and public information ocers within health depart- ments) and external (e.g., the public, other government departments, elected ocials) rec- ognition and visibility in any way we can. NEHA has taken some important steps with an actively engaged marketing and com- munication team working to move the bar. One tool now available for peer-to-peer rec- ognition is our members-only online Com- munity platform and a second is the Swipe Right for Environmental Health campaign recently piloted in Ohio. On Community (https://community.neha. org), I found this contribution from Charles Treser, principal lecturer at the University of Washington: I think one of the reasons that EPH [environmental public health] tends to
be invisible is how broad our mandate is. No other profession covers every- thing from air quality to zoonotic dis- eases. And the list of program areas has been expanding almost exponentially as new science discoveries, emerging tech- nologies, and changing conditions (like climate change) reveal new health risks. So, while people can identify with the food inspectors, the onsite sew- age inspector, the industrial hygienists, etc., they don’t see these, and we seldom point out that these are all part of the mandate of EPH. The one thing that uni- fies our profession is risk—any environ- mental factor or condition that poses a risk to human life, health, or safety is the province of EPH. Treser identified many of the challenges we face and I hope that the marketing and com- munication eort we have undertaken will provide tools and support to confront this challenge. The conversation on the platform that followed was insightful and shows this challenge is one many of us identify with. Treser went on to suggest that by “high- lighting human health risk as the common theme of all the many aspects of our profes- sion, I think we can help the public and our policymakers better understand the critical importance of the environmental health pro- fessional to their own health and well-being.” The Swipe Right for Environmental Health campaign—launched as a pilot in Ohio dur- ing May and June 2023 and to be advertised again in September 2023—was developed in
response to concerns we heard from our mem- bers about how invisible and undervalued they felt as a profession. In response, we developed an advertising campaign to raise the visibility and appreciation of our important workforce among decision makers and the public. The advertising targeted decision makers at and around the Ohio Statehouse. The ads featured three environmental health professionals from Ohio and urge viewers to support environ- mental health. You can view the campaign and ads at www.neha.org/swipe-right. I encourage each of you to get active in making our work more well-known.
tbutts@neha.org
References Buchanan, S. (2006). Revisiting revitalization. Journal of Environmental Health , 68 (6), 69–70. https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/docs/ jeh/2006/Jan_Feb_2006_Buchanan.pdf Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2003). A national strategy to revitalize environmental public health services . https:// www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/Docs/National Strategy2003.pdf Resnik, B., Zablotsky, J., Nachman, K., & Burke, T. (2008). Examining the front line of local environmental health prac- tice: A Maryland case study. Journal of Public Health Practice and Management , 14 (1), 42–50. https://doi.org/10.1097/01. PHH.0000303412.12227.86
Stand out in the crowd. Show the world you are the environmental health expert you know you are with a credential. You might even earn more or get promoted. neha.org/credentials
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