Register for the Interactive Food Defense Workshop

NACCHO, in collaboration with the FDA's Food Defense Oversight Team, is pleased to present an interactive Food Defense workshop, as a pre-conference workshop, to the NACCHO Annual Conference. The Food Defense workshop is scheduled for 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM PDT, July 11th. Several unique facets of this workshop include:

- Use of the FDA's Food Related Emergency Exercise Bundle (FREE-B)

- Updates related to existing and new funding opportunities

To register to attend in person:

Register for the workshop as part of your NACCHO Annual registration or contact Becky Johnson (rjohnson@naccho.org) if you want to attend the session separately from NACCHO Annual.

To register to attend via webinar:

Registration information is available on the Food Defense Oversight Team website www.fda.gov/FoodDefense or by visiting FoodShield.

CDC Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Feature

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website has a feature on how the public can protect themselves from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning at home. The feature discusses common CO sources such as portable generators, stoves, lanterns, and gas ranges and common CO poisoning symptoms such as headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, chest pain, confusion, and vomiting. In addition, the CDC offers tips on CO poisoning prevention in 16 additional languages. Learn more here.

NACCHO Key Informant Interview Report on Environmental Public Health Tracking

NACCHO has released a report on how 13 LHDs perceive the current state of environmental public health tracking. The key informant interviews were conducted to better understand how CDC's National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (National Tracking Network) and the CDC-funded tracking grantees could better serve LHDs. Key findings include the LHDs' appreciation of how the CDC and state tracking programs standardize data, provide points of comparison, and link health outcomes with hazards data. A key barrier that prevents LHDs from fully engaging in tracking resources is the lack of localized data that provide insight to geographic units smaller than the county level. To learn more, click here.  

NACCHO Retail Program Standards Mentorship Program

NACCHO invited LHDs to submit applications to participate in a mentorship program with peers to share experiences, learn, and provide tools and resources related to the FDA Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (Retail Program Standards). The overall objective of the mentorship program is to match LHD practitioners experienced in applying the Retail Program Standards with LHDs currently enrolled in the Retail Program Standards and looking for guidance, tools and resources, and recommendations for achieving a standard(s). Learn more here.

National Swimming Pool Foundation Recreational Water Illnesses Online Course & Handbook

The National Swimming Pool Foundation has launched a Recreational Water Illnesses online training course and handbook. Targeted to health officials, pool operators, managers, service companies, and suppliers, the course provides detailed information about the control of recreational water illnesses. The participants will learn the basic steps of identifying health threats, unique features of threats, possible consequences, ways to reduce risks, and prioritizing risk reduction. Learn more here.

EPA Power Profiler

The EPA has updated the Power Profiler application with new data on environmental characteristics of electric power plants in the United States from 2009. The user-friendly application allows users to see how their energy use impacts the environment. The updated data include information on emissions and emissions rates for air pollutants and greenhouse gases and provides researchers and policymakers with a powerful set of data about electric generators. Data are available for regions based on zip code and electric utility. Learn more here.

NCSL Policymaker's Guide for Natural Gas Development and Hydraulic Fracturing

The National Conference of State Legislatures has released a guide for policymakers on natural gas development and hydraulic fracturing. The report provides an overview of the nation's natural gas production, use, and environmental impact; natural gas state legislative trends; state policy actions to develop safe and responsible development of natural gas; and federal actions. Currently, natural gas development is occurring in 32 states, and the use of hydraulic fracturing has rapidly increased in the past few years. To learn more, click here. 

CDC Nurses and Tracking Network Podcast

The CDC has posted a podcast on the Tracks' Podcast Series about how public health nurses use the National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (Tracking Network) in a variety of work settings. The podcast includes commentary from the American Nurses Association and from public health nurses in Massachusetts. The commentators discuss how the Tracking Network provides nurses with invaluable access to data and information to find correlations between specific environmental health exposures to observed health effects, such as identifying asthma or childhood lead poisoning in their region. Learn more here.

EPA Waste to Biogas Mapping Tool

CDC Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Feature

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website has a feature on how the public can protect themselves from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning at home. The feature discusses common CO sources such as portable generators, stoves, lanterns and gas ranges as well as common CO poisoning symptoms such as headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, chest pain, confusion and vomiting and. In addition, the CDC offers tips on CO poisoning prevention in 16 additional languages. Learn more here.

NACCHO Key Informant Interview Report on Environmental Public Health Tracking

NACCHO has released a report on how 13 local health departments (LHDs) perceive the current state of environmental public health tracking. The key informant interviews were conducted to better understand how CDC's National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (National Tracking Network) and the CDC-funded tracking grantees could better serve LHDs. Key findings include the LHDs' appreciation of how the CDC and state tracking programs standardize data, provide point of comparison, and link health outcome with hazards data. A key barrier that prevents LHDs from fully engaging in tracking resources is the lack of localized data that provide insight to geographic units smaller than the county level. To learn more, click here.  

NACCHO Retail Program Standards Mentorship Program

NACCHO invited local health departments (LHDs) to submit applications to participate in a mentorship program with other peer LHDs to share experiences, learn, and provide tools and resources related to the FDA Voluntary National Retail Food Regulatory Program Standards (Retail Program Standards). The overall objective of the mentorship program is to match LHD practitioners experienced in applying the Retail Program Standards with LHDs currently enrolled in the Retail Program Standards and looking for guidance, tools and resources, and recommendations for achieving a standard or standards. Learn more here.

National Swimming Pool Foundation Recreational Water Illnesses Online Course & Handbook

The National Swimming Pool Foundation has launched a Recreational Water Illnesses online training course and handbook. Targeted to health officials, pool operators, managers, service companies, and suppliers, the course provides detailed information about the control of recreational water illnesses. The participants will be taken through the basic steps of identifying health threats, unique features of threats, possible consequences, ways to reduce risks, and prioritizing risk reduction. Learn more here.

EPA Power Profiler

The EPA has updated the Power Profiler application with new data on environmental characteristics of electric power plants in the United States from 2009. The Power Profiler is a user-friendly application that allows users to see how their energy use impacts the environment. The updated data includes information on emissions and emissions rates for air pollutants and greenhouse gases and provides researchers and policymakers with a powerful set of data about electric generators. Data is available for regions based on zip code and electric utility. Learn more here.

NCSL Policymaker's Guide for Natural Gas Development and Hydraulic Fracturing

The National Conference of State Legislatures has released a guide for policymakers on natural gas development and hydraulic fracturing. The report provides an overview of the nation's natural gas production, use, and environmental impact; natural gas state legislative trends; state policy actions to develop safe and responsible development of natural gas; and federal actions. Currently, natural gas development is occurring in 32 states and the use of hydraulic fracturing has rapidly increased in the past few years. To learn more, click here. 

CDC Nurses and Tracking Network Podcast

The CDC has posted a podcast on the Tracks' Podcast Series about how public health nurses use the National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network (Tracking Network) in a variety of work settings. The podcast includes commentary from the American Nurses Association and from public health nurses in Massachusetts. The commentators discuss how the Tracking Network provides nurses with invaluable access to data and information to find correlations between specific environmental health exposures to observed health effects, such as identifying asthma or childhood lead poisoning in their region. Learn more here.

EPA Waste to Biogas Mapping Tool

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U.S. Appeals Court Upholds EPA Carbon Pollution Limits

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Calendar of Events