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Community Environmental Health Assessment (CEHA)

    One of the principal goals of a community environmental health assessment (CEHA) process is to improve the health status of a community and thereby to achieve CDC’s Healthy Communities Goal: “Increase the number of communities that protect, and promote health and safety and prevent illness and injury in all their members” (Healthy Communities)

    How Do CEHAs Strengthen Environmental Health Programs?

    The Protocol for Assessing Community Excellence in Environmental Health (PACE EH) and other CEHA processes can be used to operationalize the 10 Essential Services of Environmental Public Health.

    Local environmental health agencies most often mention strengthening of the following essential services as part of their PACE EH processes:

    • Assessment: monitor health; diagnose and investigate
    • Policy development: inform, educate, and empower; mobilize community partnerships; develop policies
    • Assurance: assure a competent workforce


    PACE EH: One Tool for CEHAs

    The Protocol for Assessing Community Excellence in Environmental Health (PACE EH) is the methodology promoted by the National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH) and the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) to conduct CEHAs in both domestic and international settings. PACE EH offers guidance to communities and local health officials for conducting community-based environmental health assessments to

    • identify environmental health issues,
    • prioritize the identified issues,
    • develop action plans, and
    • evaluate the progress to address selected issues.

    PACE EH improves the environmental health decision-making process by strengthening community involvement so that public values and priorities are considered. The PACE EH guidebook (Spanish version) [PDF 943 KB] offers guidance for improving local environmental health status and redefining the role of leadership in local environmental health.

    The PACE EH process evaluation [PDF 1.7 MB] conducted by the Battelle Centers for Public Health Research and Evaluation concluded that the major impacts of implementing a CEHA such as PACE EH include the following:

    • Building networks and collaboration.
    • Improving knowledge and skills in environmental health issues and collaborative processes.
    • Increasing awareness of environmental health concerns.
    • Increasing trust between collaborators.
    • Strengthening the perception of the health agency as leader.


    EPA-CDC/ATSDR Collaboration: Community-Centered Approach

    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and CDC/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) collaboration, in partnership with state and local governments, uses a community-centered approach to build healthy communities. Creating effective and sustainable solutions to environmental public health problems requires community capacity at the local level.

    An EPA-CDC/ATSDR Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) [PDF 277 KB] formalizing this collaboration was signed on July 18, 2007. The four pilot collaboration sites were also announced.

    EPA-CDC/ATSDR collaborative activities will strengthen coordination between environmental protection and public health programs. Such collaboration will reduce overlap and add synergy to ongoing community-based activities. EPA and CDC/ATSDR will work to optimize resource use and to coordinate assistance directed to communities to ensure safety and promote health.

    Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE): An EPA Resource

    CARE is a competitive grant program that offers an innovative way for a community to organize and take action to reduce toxic pollution in its local environment. Through CARE, a community creates a partnership that implements solutions to reduce releases of toxic pollutants and minimize people's exposure to them. By providing financial and technical assistance, EPA helps CARE communities get on the path to a renewed environment.