Rebuilding Caribbean Environmental Health Post-Crisis Programs: A Preliminary Study for Virtual Mentorship.

After the hurricanes in 2017 in the U.S. Caribbean, it was essential to rebuild, strengthen, and sustain essential environmental health (EH) services and systems.

Public health branch incident management and support as part of the Federal Government response during the emergency phase of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

On September 6 and 20, 2017, Hurricanes Irma and Maria made landfall as major hurricanes in the US Caribbean Territories of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico with devastating effects. As part of the initial response, a public health team (PHT) was initially deployed as part of the US Department of Health and Human Services Incident Response Coordination Team. As a result of increased demands for additional expertise and resources, a public health branch (PHB) was established for coordinating a broad spectrum of public health response activities in support of the affected territories.

Exploring the Benefits and Value of Public Health Department Internships for Environmental Health Students.

Internships are an essential component of preparing prospective college graduates for entering the practice-based field of environmental health (EH). EH professionals continually encounter events or hazards of high complexity and impact, and many experienced EH professionals are expected to retire within the next several years. Efforts are needed to ensure a supply of highly qualified and prepared graduates is available to sustain and strengthen the EH workforce.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Roles in Hurricane Response and Postdisaster Mosquito Control1.

Hurricanes and other natural disasters leave behind multifaceted and complex environmental challenges that may contribute to adverse health outcomes, such as increased potential for exposure to vector-borne disease. Through an incident management system tailored for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR) fulfills a leadership role in facilitating the agency's natural disaster emergency response activities through coordination with other CDC programs, liaising with other government agencies and impacted jurisdictions, and responding to requests for technical assistance. On the ground, NCEH/ATSDR deploys environmental health (EH) practitioners who provide consultation and inform mosquito control efforts from a systematic perspective.

Continuation of Mosquito Surveillance and Control During Public Health Emergencies and Natural Disasters.

Mosquitoborne disease outbreaks occur every year in the United States from one or more of the arboviral diseases dengue, West Nile, LaCrosse, Eastern equine encephalitis, and Zika (1). Public opinion communicated through traditional and social media and the Internet, competing public health and resource priorities, and local conditions can impede the ability of vector control organizations to prevent and respond to outbreaks of mosquitoborne disease. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and CDC performed a coordinated review of the concerns and challenges associated with continuation of mosquito surveillance and control during public health emergencies and disasters.

Identifying Needs for Advancing the Profession and Workforce in Environmental Health.

An ever-changing landscape for environmental health (EH) requires in-depth assessment and analysis of the current challenges and emerging issues faced by EH professionals. The Understanding the Needs, Challenges, Opportunities, Vision, and Emerging Roles in Environmental Health initiative addressed this need.After receiving responses from more than 1700 practitioners, during an in-person workshop, focus groups identified and described priority problems and supplied context on addressing the significant challenges facing EH professionals with state health agencies and local health departments.

Uncovering Environmental Health: An Initial Assessment of the Profession's Health Department Workforce and Practice.

Environmental health (EH) professionals provide critical services and respond to complex and multifaceted public health threats. The role of these professionals is continually re-emphasized by emergencies requiring rapid and effective responses to address environmental issues and ensure protection of the public's health. Given the prominence of the EH profession within the public health framework, assessing the governmental health department workforce, practice, and current and future challenges is crucial to ensure EH professionals are fully equipped and prepared to protect the nation's health.

Environmental Health Practice Challenges and Research Needs for U.S. Health Departments.

Background: Environmental health (EH) professionals, one of the largest segments of the public health workforce, are responsible for delivery of essential environmental public health services. The challenges facing these professionals and research needs to improve EH practice are not fully understood, but 26% of EH professionals working in health departments of the United States plan to retire in 5 y, while only 6% of public health students are currently pursuing EH concentrations.

Objectives: A groundbreaking initiative was recently launched to understand EH practice in health departments of the United States.

Environmental Health Program Performance and its Relationship with Environment-Related Disease in Florida.

This study used a unique approach to examine Florida county health department environmental health (EH) program performance of the 10 Essential Environmental Public Health Services (EEPHS) and its relationship with environment-related disease, described by enteric disease rates. Correlation analysis tested the association between performance of each EEPHS and five different enteric disease rates, while multivariate regression analysis further examined the relationships while considering program organizational characteristics as potential confounders. Correlation analyses revealed cryptosporidiosis was associated with EEPHS 2 diagnose ( = .

Organizational Characteristics of Local Health Departments and Environmental Health Services and Activities.

The main objective of this research was to ascertain the association between organizational characteristics of local health departments (LHDs) and environmental health (EH) services rendered in the community. Data used for the analysis were collected from LHDs by the National Association of County and City Health Officials for its 2013 national profile study of LHDs. We analyzed the data during 2016.

A Performance Management Initiative for Local Health Department Vector Control Programs.

Local health department (LHD) vector control programs have experienced reductions in funding and capacity. Acknowledging this situation and its potential effect on the ability to respond to vector-borne diseases, the U.S.

Community-based control of the brown dog tick in a region with high rates of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, 2012-2013.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) transmitted by the brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato) has emerged as a significant public health risk on American Indian reservations in eastern Arizona. During 2003-2012, more than 250 RMSF cases and 19 deaths were documented among Arizona's American Indian population. The high case fatality rate makes community-level interventions aimed at rapid and sustained reduction of ticks urgent.