Cultivating Growth: Training & Investing for Improved Health Outcomes
Perhaps more than ever, the workforce requires new skills and knowledge to prepare for and respond to continued and emerging environmental risks. In 2023, we made significant efforts to modernize study materials, bring together the workforce, and secure substantial grants to support the workforce and the communities they serve.
AWARDED $7,384,909 in the second year of the NEHA-FDA Retail Flexible Funding Model Grant Program to jurisdictions to reduce foodborne illness risk factors and implement the Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards. • 45 states awarded • 193 local jurisdictions awarded • 77 new jurisdictions applied
UPDATED our food safety study materials to the FDA 2022 Food Code and revised the materials with fresh content, new discussion and assessment questions, and a new and more usable study format.
CREATED EXPLORERS in the NEARS Program to encourage jurisdictions to use the National Environmental Assessment Reporting System (NEARS) to conduct and track environmental assessments during foodborne illness outbreaks. • 30 NEARS Explorers in 2023 • 51 participants of NEARS User Meetings “ The NEARS training has helped us reexamine and improve our environmental assessments for outbreak investigation. ” - Participant “ I walked away with a notebook full of notes, contacts, and resources. All sessions were informative and I found value in all of them. ” - Participant
1,392 REHS/RS Study Guides and references sold
954 CP-FS materials sold
8,144 Food Manager materials sold
4,529 Professional Food Handler books sold
100% state-level 88% local-level 100% of state-level and 88% of local-level funding went to jurisdictions with high social needs.
HOSTED the InFORM 2023 Regional Meetings that brought together 640 foodborne and enteric disease outbreak response professionals to share knowledge, best practices, and lessons learned. “ I gained insight into how some of the larger, multistate outbreaks are investigated and handled, especially from environmental and other regulatory agencies’ perspectives. ” “ Getting to see how an investigation proceeds from first complaint to data collection, WGS results, EHS sampling, was very informative, entertaining, and helpful. ”
1,040 Food Handler certificates provided
1,817 online courses given (does not include credential courses)
1,873 individuals accessed our courses
“ I think the Standards, along with the mentorship grant, have really elevated our profession as a whole because we feel like we’re all kind of headed in the same direction now. ” - Awardee “ Receiving this funding for our Special Project was needed to help us officially launch our statewide food complaint system. ” - Awardee
MODERNIZED and updated our suite of CP-FS study materials and the REHS/RS Practice Exam, including a face-to-face study course, online review course, and new formats, videos, questions, ebooks, and e-flash cards.
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