National Environmental Public Health Conference (NEPHC)

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Name of Session:

Session B 12

Strengthening and Coordinating the Role of Federal Agencies in Community-based Environmental Health Initiatives of Local Health Departments

Description of Session

Local health departments are key leaders and partners in community-based efforts to address environmental health concerns. Federal agencies are also playing a key role in supporting community-based environmental health initiatives. This panel will provide a forum for dialogue between representatives of local health departments and federal agencies to identify key challenges to improving and integrating federal support for the community-based initiatives of local health departments. Representatives of NACCHO and the DeKalb County Health Department will summarize their experiences with federal support for community-based environmental health initiatives and identify key areas for improvement. Senior managers from EPA, CDC, and NIEHS will respond to the ideas presented and suggest steps that could be taken to improve their support. Members of the audience will be invited to participate in this conversation. The goal of the session will be to identify some initial practical steps that federal agencies could take to improve their support for the community-based environmental health initiatives of local health departments. All panelists are committed to exchanging ideas in advance of the December Environmental Health meeting in Atlanta and will use the panel to identify practical steps that can be taken to strengthen and coordinate the federal role in community-based environmental health initiatives.