2004–2007 Projects

Loma Linda University School of Public Health

Presentation to Environmental Health Tracking Grantees [PDF - 287 KB]

Program Description
The Loma Linda University School of Public Health provides environmental health technical and administrative support to state, county, city, and tribal health agencies in an eight-state region in the western United States and Pacific Rim.

Major Accomplishments
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

• A Risk-based Food Inspection Program. Accepted for publication, Journal of Environmental Health (anticipated publication date: March 2007). Beneficiary: San Bernardino County Health Department.
• California’s County and City Environmental Health Services Delivery System. Submitted, Journal of Environmental Health (under review). Beneficiary: California Conference of Directors of Environmental Health.

Navajo Nation Environmental Health Surveillance Capacity Building:
In summer 2005, Loma Linda hosted a Navajo Professor from Diné College (Navajo Tribal College) for approximately 1 month. The professor received intensive training in the environmental health applications of geographic information systems (GIS). Dine College then hosted a Loma Linda graduate student, who trained the college’s trainers on the use and applications of GIS. Beneficiary: Navajo Nation.

California’s County and City Environmental Health Services Delivery System:
This 165-page report provides a comprehensive description of environmental health service delivery in California. Policy and decision makers at the state and local are using the report to support a more strategic approach to environmental health management systems. Beneficiary: State of California.

Barriers
Time

Next 18 Months

• Develop a model that enumerates financial benefits associated with environmental health services (product: article).
• Replicate environmental health service delivery assessment in New Mexico (product: report).
• Submit peer-reviewed articles on environmental health preparedness, using technology to estimate the ideal number of environmental health professionals, and efficient methods of assessing environmental health services (product: publications).
• Assist California in the development and implementation of an environmental health learning management system (product: statewide learning management system).

National Transferability
The model that enumerates financial benefits associated with environmental health services, efficient methods of assessing environmental health services, and strategies for enhancing tribal environmental health capacity are nationally transferable.

Impact

• The California Profile documenting gaps in the environmental health workforce was used by environmental health directors to support raises for environmental health professionals in California.
• The County of San Bernardino, California, has multilanguage retail food worker training available on DVD.
• The State of California new (2007) Retail Food Code training materials are available to the state’s 2500 registered environmental health specialists.
• Environmental asthma trigger training is available to underserved areas of Riverside County, California.
• Native American public health students attending Diné College in Shiprock, New Mexico, are able to use GIS technology in support of surveillance efforts targeted at individuals living near abandoned uranium mines on tribal lands.

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