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This is a full transcript of the text of the Division of Environmental Health Introduction presentation.

This is a full transcript of the online presentation. For the presentation itself, go here.

Begin Transcript:

1. This is Lisa Conti, Director of the Division of Environmental Health in the Department of Health. I am pleased to give you this orientation to the critical public health work of the Division as part of a Florida Department of Health.

2. Environmental health provides the basis of public health. Improvements in sanitation, drinking water quality, food safety, disease control, and housing conditions have been central to the significant improvement in quality of life and longevity experienced over the last hundred years. Environmental health practice addresses emerging health risks arising from the pressures that human development places on the environment.

3. What the 214 people in the Division along with the 67 county health department, environmental health staff do everyday is work hard to protect people from diseases they could get from their natural and made-made environment.

4. Many if our programs encompass the fundamental needs of living: food, water and air. We also provide professional services in the arenas that encompass the natural and built environments.

5. The State takes pride in the fact that Environmental Health leaders are looked to as models for other states, winning awards or recognition in each of the bureaus and division office services. Most recently, Florida is the first health agency in the nation to have been accepted as a Smart Growth Network partner

6. Some of this success is due to setting short and long terms goals for each of our program areas, so our staff know where we’re headed, even blindfolded.

7. The Division office provides guidance and policy for local environmental health programs assuring the quality within the numerous services provided to the 18 million residents and 40 million visitors to the state.

8. We work hard to make the Division a great place to work and encourage working across bureaus, divisions and agencies to maximize effectiveness of our professional relationships.

9. This slide shows some of our partners who add to the environmental health braintrust in the state

10. Our executive team is fortunate to work with excellent environmental health professionals throughout the division and county health departments. From the top left corner going counter clockwise are Dr. Carina Blackmore, Bill Passetti, Eric Grimm, Ty Gentle, Monika Pitts, Kelly Nelson, Gerald Briggs, Bart Bibler, Dr. Brian Hughes, Bill Reinhold, Daniel Parker and me, Lisa Conti. The next slides give a brief overview of the major programs of the division.

11. Our Division includes an innovative group that seeks to support the environmental health programs with appropriate technology and preparedness planning

12. Some of the projects of this group include:

- training EH Strike Team statewide

- providing in-house training programs through technologies such as this software I'm using today

- developing a Paperless Inspection Field Capture System

- developed Intra/Extra net Sharepoint sites used nationwide

- providing Environmental Health Preparedness lectures for numerous national agencies (including CDC, NEHA)

13. This group brought several innovations forward for the benefit of the department, including Geographic information systems support; bringing a free software, Sharepoint, to the department that fosters sharing of information and collaborative work products; preparing a system to track legislation important to the department; having a vision for and working toward paperless systems; and bringing this technology, Breeze to the department to support training.

14. Division staff also had the vision for and built the Education Resource Center that is heavily used by the department for trainings and presentations

15. Outside of the state’s emergency operations center, the Division was the site of the Department’s Emergency Support Function 8 response during the multiple 2004 hurricanes. Staff were deployed during the long haul -- from the initial recovery stages throughout the hurricane responses and are till addressing lingering environmental public health issues from the widespread destruction.

16. Our toxicology and health assessment group are a vital part of environmental public health medicine

17. Our programs include Health Assessment/Consultations for Hazardous Waste Sites, Toxicological issues, and surveillance of Hazardous Substance Emergency Events and Pesticide Exposures

18. The Division houses the Department's environmental epidemiology and veterinary public health Programs

19. Recognizing that there’s a need for collaboration across veterinary and human medicine, one Health initiatives are at the convergence of animal, human and ecosystem health. The One Health arena includes, pandemic influenza, and emerging infectious diseases which are frequently zoonotic

20. There are a number of initiatives in the environmental epidemiology and one health arena that support the county health departments. These staff are recognized leaders in coalition building

21. Community EH programs are numerous and geared to protect our most vulnerable populations.

22. The Bureau of Community Environmental Health administers surveillance, investigation and preventative programs designed to reduce illness and prevent disease caused by exposure to environmental factors. The bureau consists of over 20 preventive public health programs and approximately 60 Environmental Health Professionals. To assure that our entire workforce is properly trained and professional this Bureau oversees the environmental health professional certification program.

23. The Bureau of Onsite Sewage Programs not only protects human health but in doing so make for sound environmental stewardship

24. The Bureau is Involved in wastewater planning, policy setting and public education activities at the national, state and local levels. Florida is one of eight states recognized by US EPA for their commitment to protecting human health and the environment through the adoption of US EPAs Voluntary Guidelines for Management of Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems.

25. Our water programs staff are known as the guardians of safe water

26. Our Water programs include: Private Well Testing, Well Surveillance, Healthy Beaches Program – largest in nation, and a national model Public Swimming Pool Program. Our staff serve on Center for Disease Control and reventions Model Code committee and the Association of State and territorial health Officers Water Workgroups

27. Our highly trained, technical staff work to assure that Floridians are protected from unnecessary radiation exposure.

28. The 5 major areas of the program include environmental radiation, radioactive materials, inspections, radiation machines and radiologic technology standards and non-ionizing radiation

29. Our health physics team is truly a model in the country for state-based radiation control. Their efforts at training for natural or manmade disasters actually brings Florida international attention. As a delegated state for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Florida excels.

30. Getting back to the roots of environmental health means having public health at the planning stage of community development

31. The obesity epidemic is costing us our health and having a huge economic impact in terms of medical dollars. Both the Governors and Surgeon General’s top priorities include addressing this issue.

32. Public health is focusing on community health. Programs like the Protocol for Assessing Community Excellence tap into the residents’ needs to overcome the barriers to wellness in their physical environment. This can be adding sidewalks in a community, bringing them clean water or addressing housing needs.

33. We are about having an informed public and knowledgeable partners. The Surgeon General’s 3 P’s seek to make advances in health through prevention, preparedness and personal responsibility. Environmental Health’s recent prevention actions include: Engaging partners in Water, Wastewater and Zoonoses Summits, Implementing community-based environmental health projects in more counties than any other state.

34. The County Health Department Environmental Health staff were true heroes in Florida’s hurricane responses, reflecting their mastery of implementation and ingenuity. Our experience from the natural disaster was complemented Trained thousands of first responders and medical community in environmental health preparedness including radiologic, biologic and chemical incidents.

35. Every person has a stake in environmental public health. As environments deteriorate, so does the physical and mental health of the people who live in them. There is a connection, for example, between the fact that the urban sprawl we live with daily makes no room for sidewalks or bike paths and the fact that we are an overweight, heart disease-ridden society. There are more people - and pets- suffering from overnutrition than who are undernurished in this country. Yet, we can all make choices everyday to work towards wellness.

36. We address the big picture environmental public health issues that are impacting our every day life. It is our commitment for Florida to have Healthy People, Healthy Homes and Healthy Communities.

37. Thank you for your investment in time to learn about what we do every day to positively impact environmental public health. For more information about any of our programs, please call us our or go to our website at www.myfloridaEH.com

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