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PACE EH

Contact Florida PACE EH

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View the latest information related to PACE EH (Updated for 2012)

The Bureau of Environmental Health has adopted the National Association of City and County Health Officials' (NACCHO) Protocol for Assessing Community Excellence in Environmental Health - PACE EH.

For several years, the Bureau of Environmental Health has supported county health departments to work with their communities and address environmental health concerns. Collectively, the county health departments across Florida who have implemented PACE EH in communities have become a national model and provided evidence that communities identify built environment and urban planning issues as environmental health issues.

While some of the projects do not follow the PACE EH methodology exactly, all projects are designed to open the lines of communication between the department's county health departments and their affected communities.

Florida PACE EH Awards

News

PACE EH recognized by Harvard University

Bright Idea award logo

The Bright Ideas initiative recognizes and promotes creative and promising government programs and partnerships in order for government leaders, public servants, and other individuals to learn about noteworthy ideas and can adopt those initiatives that can work in their own communities. The initiative is offered through the Innovations in Government Program, a program of the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School. For more information, please visit the Bright Ideas Webpage

Read the letter of recognition.

The department's efforts were also recognized in a June 2004 letter from NACCHO Executive Director Patrick Libbey to former Department of Health Secretary Dr. John Agwunobi and again in a 2008 letter to Surgeon General Ana Viamonte-Ros.








Latest Updates on PACE EH

PACE EH Projects
and Other Community Assessment Work Supported by
the Florida Department of Health

Please note, Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to any of the email addresses listed below. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.

Bradford County Environmental Health Director: Winfred Holland
Updates for Bradford County


Duval County Updates

  • As part of Jacksonville's urban core, East Jacksonville has experienced decay in past years. For example, Aerostar Environmental Services confirmed that of the 2,034 properties evaluated in East Jacksonville, 551 (27%) were found to have potential contamination risks. In recent years, ambitious urban renewal such as widening of streets, beautification projects, construction of a sports complex and concert hall has taken place in proximate areas. However, such projects have not occurred within East Jacksonville. East Jacksonville is a community comprising approximately nine square miles. It is bounded by the St. Johns River, Iona Street, the Arlington Expressway and 20th Street. These boundaries are in close alignment with the boundaries of Duval County's census tracts three and four. According to the US Census, 5,260 people reside in these census tracts of which 2,030 people live below the poverty level. Residents of East Jacksonville have organized into a community group called the Eastside Environmental Council. Using PACE protocol, the Eastside Environmental Council identified several environmental health issues. One of the key identified issues is the lack of redevelopment efforts that promote economic revitalization and a healthy community.
  • The proposed project will address this issue by creating incentives that will catalyze private redevelopment efforts. The Eastside Environmental Council recognizes that one obstacle to economic revitalization is the trepidation of would be business property investors due to the fear of contamination related liability. Through collaboration with the DCHD, the Eastside Environmental Council has expressed keen interest in developing an information repository of East Jacksonville Brownfield site information and groundwater data linked to a geographic system (GIS). PACE EH will help facilitate the inclusion of several historically relevant sites, located within East Jacksonville, into the National Register of Historical Places. Inclusion of these sites would provide local and national recognition to East Jacksonville. Moreover, East Jacksonville would then be eligible to receive consideration in the planning for Federal projects, Federal tax benefits and Federal assistance for historic preservation. Graduate history students at the University of North Florida will perform the needed research and application procedures.


    • Latest PACE EH Reports for Duval County
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • January 2009
  • February 2009
  • March 2009
  • April 2009

 

Escambia County

  • As part of our proposal we will perform research on the completed projects of PACE EH recipients within DOH. Through this process of review we will then select the proposals that achieved the objectives and that produced the most benefit for the community. This list will then be shared with our PACE EH team so that it can be used during their meetings. The list will be a result of evidenced based research and will reveal how this process can lead to successful results if the team, our community partners and the community that is selected are committed to a successful outcome. The projected time that is detailed in our Work Plan to train the ECHD personnel, to complete the evidence based research and perform the community assessment will require that the ECHD PACE EH project extend for sixteen months.
  • Read more about Escambia County.


Franklin County Environmental Health Director: Melissa Durkin


Hardee County

  • Limestone, a community that straddles the Hardee DeSoto County line, has been selected to conduct PACE-EH. Hardee and DeSoto County Health Departments are collaborating on the project. A meeting was held on Friday, June 27, 2007 at Hardee County Health Department. Kedesch Altidor, PACE coordinator and Keith Keene, DeSoto Environmental Manager introduced the PACE EH process. In attendance were Marsha Rau, Hardee CHD Adminstrator and Junior Archer, EH manager. Hardee County Commissioner Gordon Norris was also in attendance. Jim Griffin, Hardee business manager and Glenda Harn rounded out the meeting. They are excited about the PACE-EH process and believe PACE-EH can make a big difference the Limestone community.  Several well attended meetings have been held in the community and a core work group identified to carry out the PACE process. Partners include the Hardee County Commission, DeSoto and Hardee County Health Departments, and the Saint Paul Missionary Baptist Church and the Limestone Baptist Church. Problems identified are the lack of a community playground, safety concerns, noise levels, lack of storm drainage, air quality and street lighting.  At last Tuesdays meeting, the group began developing a survey to seek input from community residents. Results of the survey will shape the direction of the project.
  • July 2009

 

Indian River County

  • The Florida Department of Health's Indian River County Health Department, Environmental Health Division (IRCHD EHD) completed implementing PACE EH in three communities: West Wabasso, Fellsmere, and Gifford.
  • Read more about Indian River County.

 

Lake County


Lee County


Madison County

  • Madison County has seen influx of new residents for the last three years. Developers have seven proposed subdivisions before the Planning and Zoning Board at this time.  In spite of this growth and development outside the city limits, little attention has been given to the neighborhoods located within the city limits, especially those to the south of Base Street, which includes the Fraleigh/Smith Subdivision, the Mickel Subdivision, the Session Hill Subdivision, and the Moseley Addition. The community has identified several issues, including: a lack of adequate lighting, lace of sidewalks, abandoned and run down property, and drug trafficking in the local children's park.
  • March Report
  • City Expanding Rejuvenation Efforts - December 2009


Marion County

  • The funds secured by the Environmental Health Division of the Marion County Health Department will be used to facilitate a community-driven initiative. This project - West Ocala Neighborhood PACE-EH Project - seeks to collaboratively conduct an assessment, strategically plan and set priorities to address environmental health concerns. The goal of the project is to impact and improve the quality of life of the West Side community of the city of Ocala. This project is the winner of the 2005 Ocala/Marion County Chamber of Commerce Walter Driggers Environmentalist of the Year Award!
  • Read more about Marion county.

Martin County

  • On August 4, 2008 Nathan Stentiford from the Martin county Health Department attended a meeting with the Golden Gate Neighborhood Advisory Committee and other social groups.

    Businesses expressed their concern about foreclosure homes and possible sanitary nuisances with them. They also would like to see the Health Department hold a OSTDS workshop in order to educate people on how to increase longevity of their OSTDS systems.

    On August 5, 2008 the Stuart News released a press article title: "Golden Gate to conduct survey to identify health problems within community residents".

    The Golden Gate Advisory committee approved a wide-ranging survey of community residents as part of a Martin county Health Department project that will identify health-related problems. Ms. Cathy Reeder from the Martin County Community Redevelopment Authority will assist the Health Department on this project.
  • Golden Gate residents discuss improving their neighborhood
  • Martin County Meeting Notice


    • Latest PACE EH Reports for Martin County
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • February 2009
  • March 2009
  • April 2009

Monroe County

 

Okaloosa County Environmental Health Director: Shaun May
Updates for Okaloosa County

  • The Okaloosa County Health Department plans to partner with the many passionate individuals and groups trying to tackle a multitude of health related issues. We know that we can facilitate the collective power of these individuals and groups and find common ground to focus on and tackle.
  • Our first step will be to survey every household in these communities, around 300 homes, and determine what health concerns are priority to the community as a whole.  We plan to go door to door and to take advantage of existing planned events in the area to ensure that we capture everyone's input with this survey. Okaloosa County Environmental Health will dedicate the manpower and resources to accomplish this survey.  We will make city and county officials aware of our survey and ask them to participate in the process.  We will be partnering very closely with the Burnette-Harmon-Wood (BHW) Community Resource Center.

Osceola County

  • PACE-EH will be utilized in a very low income area of Osceola County. This area is a high drug area of homes that have been neglected and forgotten by much of the community. Our intent is to establish community partnerships and through surveys and visit's determine the community's priorities. The ultimate goal of the project is to restore pride in the community and restore a healthy and safe environment. Many of the homes are serviced by failing septic systems and the homes are infested with vermin and are unsafe for use. It is our goal through partnerships to clean up and improve the conditions for residents in the community.


    • Latest PACE EH Reports for Osceola County
  • Channel 9 News Video
  • August 2009
  • May 2009
  • January 2009
  • February 2009
  • March 2009
  • April 2009

Palm Beach

  • Palm Beach CHD seeks to complete an environmental health assessment in the Watergate Estates neighborhood, identified by their county as a community revitalization area. Using the PACE EH protocol, the health department will work to establish a collaborative group of community members and address local environmental health concerns.
  • Read more about Palm Beach County.

Polk County

  • Polk County seeks to complete a disease prevention and health assessment intervention in the Combee Settlement area of Polk County, originally started with a grant from NACCHO. Additionally, the grant will jumpstart educational outreach in an impoverished community in Wahneta, Florida, where many migrant farm workers, Spanish-speaking families live without access to basic community or health services.
  • Read more about Polk County.

 

Seminole County Environmental Health Director: Bret Smith
Updates for Seminole County

 

St. Johns County:


Sumter County

  • We were awarded our PACE grant on May 12th. This month we kicked off our PACE Project with a meeting on June 2nd. Key staff who will be participating in the project met to develop a strategy and further define the goals and objectives. On June 10th, the Sumter CHD PACE Team met to work on tasks 1, 2 and 3. We discussed and identified community capacity for the assessment, determined available and needed resources, further defined and characterized the community, and came up with a list of 20 people to invite to participate in our Environmental Health Assessment Team. Participants include community partners from city/county government, private businesses, faith based organizations, and community leaders. Before adjourning, we discussed what our next steps should be including a routine meeting schedule.


Volusia County Environmental Health Director: Chuck Luther
Updates for Volusia County

 

PACE EH Links


PACE EH Contacts

For more information on the department's PACE EH initiative, contact Julianne Price at the Indian River County Health Department, or Sandra Whitehead in the Bureau of Environmental Health, 850-245-4250.  For specific information on each pilot county's efforts, contact the county Environmental Health Director.
This page was last modified on: 04/17/2013 01:57:38