YOUR ASSOCIATION
Open Access
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
The Future Is Bright
Tom Butts, MSc, REHS
I cannot believe this column is my final one as president of the National Environ- mental Health Association (NEHA). First I will share how privileged and honored I feel to have served as NEHA president. It has been an interesting year and the to-do list remains long as I write this column. I wish to thank you, our members, for allowing me to serve this past year as your president. I have tried to be a good steward of NEHA by promoting environmental public health’s large local role, supporting the great NEHA sta, and advocating for evidence- based activities. It has been a humbling expe- rience and another learning opportunity. I also had the opportunity to visit many of our a liates, exchange ideas, and learn from you. I would be remiss not to recognize our NEHA sta, with a workload that challenges their capacity regularly, and Executive Direc- tor Dr. David Dyjack, for the outstanding jobs they have done these past 4 years where I have been a close observer. This year we took a new spin on Hill Day! We strived to increase awareness of environmental health and local issues in the U.S. Congress. We endeavored to be customer-oriented with state, local, tribal, and territorial support from the NEHA-FDA Retail Flexible Funding Model (RFFM) Grant Program. We have also worked in a range of ways to support the global footprint and knowledge base of environmental health. Our Board of Directors has also stepped up to meet many challenges. Past and future presidents and active regional vice-presidents visited many of our a liates and worked behind the scenes on numerous committees and projects. The last year has been a plea- sure to work with an engaged Board of Direc-
I asked Chat GPT the following question: “What is environmental public health and why is it important?” Here is the response: “Environmental public health is a multi- disciplinary field that focuses on the study and management of environmental factors that can potentially aect human health. It encompasses a wide range of topics includ- ing air and water quality, food safety, waste management, toxic substances, and climate change. The primary goal of environmental public health is to prevent and control dis- eases, injuries, and health conditions that result from the interaction of people with their environment. It is important for several reasons: • Prevents disease and protects health: By identifying and mitigating environmen- tal risks, such as pollution or hazardous waste, environmental public health eorts help prevent a range of diseases and health conditions, including respiratory illnesses, waterborne diseases, and cancers linked to environmental factors. • Promotes healthy environments: It encour- ages the creation and maintenance of healthy environments for living, working, and recreation. This includes ensuring access to clean water and air, safe food sup- plies, and healthy workplaces. • Addresses climate change: Environmental public health looks at the impacts of climate change on human health and develops strat- egies to adapt to and mitigate these impacts. This includes preparing for more frequent and severe weather events, such as hurri- canes and heat waves, and addressing the spread of diseases facilitated by changing temperatures and precipitation patterns.
What I see are dedicated, enthusiastic people who are ready to apply their
new and existing skills to whatever challenge arises.
tors and sta who are excited and dedicated to assuring that our organization is doing well and doing good things. As specialists or generalists from local gov- ernment, state government, federal govern- ment, the uniformed services, industry, and academia, we all have important roles—be they large or small—to work to assure safe food, safe drinking water, cleaner air, safe and eec- tive vector control, healthy housing, and much more. I have met many engaged and excited new peers in the workforce who daily rise up to meet the needs of the communities we serve. We are faced with new challenges—artifi- cial intelligence (AI), social media, the politi- cization of science, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and electric vehicle fires. As I have talked with environmental public health professionals across the country, I con- tinue to hear about the unique approaches each local environmental health agency takes to provide community-appropriate services. What I see are dedicated, enthusiastic people who are ready to apply their new and existing skills to whatever challenge arises.
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Volume 86 • Num)er 10
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