Publications Related to Workforce Development

Building Environmental Health Services Workforce Capacity [PDF - 85 KB] – description of branch funding and technical assistance to public health agencies, associations, and universities to establish programs for developing a competent and effective environmental health services workforce

Essential Services of Environmental Health CD-ROM [PDF - 823 KB] – CD-ROM training program to help environmental health programs fully integrate the essential services concepts into their own operations through a flexible workshop format. Continuing education credits are available for program completion. This program was developed under an EHSB cooperative agreement.

Military to Civilian Environmental Health Practice [PDF - 3 MB] – provides information to environmental health professionals who are retiring or leaving active duty service so they consider careers with state and local environmental public health programs

Strategic Options for CDC Support of the Local, State, and Tribal Environmental Public Health Workforce [PDF - 340 KB] – report with recommendations on how CDC could support development and training of the U.S. environmental public health workforce

Reports by Environmental Public Health Leadership Institute Graduates

A Case Study: The Downgrading of the Environmental Health Workforce in El Paso, Texas [DOC - 355 KB] – discussing how downgrading environmental health could adversely affect the public due to decreased quality of environmental health services.

Assuring Food Safety and a Qualified Workforce in Suburban Cook County [DOC - 356 KB] – assuring a competent workforce through a voluntary food training program.

Cultural Competency – A Recipe for Improving Environmental Public Health Practices and Related Research in Racial and Ethnic Populations [DOC - 5 MB] – cultural competency is an important part of identifying, assessing, monitoring, validating, and conducting surveillance of conditions in many of our racial and ethnic communities.

Ensuring a Competent Workforce and Sustaining Program Improvements in Environmental Health [DOC - 492 KB] – initiative to create workforce development plans and individual professional development plans and annually assess employee competency.

Improving Performance Evaluation Process by Establishing Environmental Health Workforce Standards [DOC - 588 KB] – developing workforce standards by incorporating required competencies and performance expectations for environmental health professionals.

Improving Public Health Services and Saving Resources: Hiring Graduates from Accredited Environmental Health Programs [DOC - 476 KB] – defines the academic competencies acquired by graduates of science-based academic programs and identifies the training requirements needed to bring each of these individuals up to a qualified level.

Increasing Environmental Public Health Knowledge at Local Public Health Agencies [DOC - 801 KB] – developing a comprehensive environmental training program for local public health agency environmental staff and evaluating a registration and/or credentialing program throughout the state.

Increasing Retention of Environmental Health Specialists in Los Angeles County [DOC - 606 KB] – assesses reasons for staff departures and explores opportunities available in Los Angeles County to attract experienced environmental health specialists and retain existing staff.

Meeting the Environmental Challenges of the Future by Redesigning the Workforce of Today [DOC - 378 KB] – tools to bridge the gap between technical diversity and a holistic, programmatic approach to environmental health.

Professional vs. Technician: Credentialing Requirements for Environmental Public Health Staff in Alabama [DOC - 663 KB] – using the requirements and laws for registration of environmental public health in several states to support reinstatement of requirements for the REHS/RS credential in Alabama.

Retention of Navy Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) in the U.S. Navy [DOC - 238 KB] – project to promote retention of environmental health officers (EHOs) in the U.S. Navy.

Saving University Environmental Health Programs [DOC - 308 KB] – plan for a sustainable enrollment of at least 40 students in the Environmental Health Program at East Carolina University.

Workforce Development Model: A Comprehensive Strategy for Workforce Development for Environmental Public Health Professionals in South Carolina [DOC - 156 KB] – strategy to build a workforce development model for environmental public health professionals in South Carolina.

EHS Columns in the Journal of Environmental Health

A Diverse Environmental Public Health Workforce to Meet the Diverse Environmental Health Challenges of the 21st Century [PDF - 371 KB] – discusses the need to increase the diversity of the environmental public health workforce and its leadership.

Are We Really Saving Resources with Current Hiring Practices at Local Health Departments? [PDF - 418 KB]. Workforce shortages and the small number of graduates from accredited EH academic programs have led many local health departments to hire entry-level personnel who may not have a degree or educational training in EH or public health.

Developing Environmental Public Health Leadership [PDF - 111 KB] – description of the Environmental Public Health Leadership Institute (EPHLI).  

Developing the Environmental Health Workforce [PDF - 308 KB] – highlights the many programs that EHSB has participated in to promote the environmental health workforce.  

Revisiting Revitalization [PDF - 262 KB] – outlines the progress to date on the goals and strategies implemented in A National Strategy to Revitalize Environmental Public Health Services.

Links to information from outside CDC

Board of Health Recommendations for Hiring Qualified Environmental Health Practitioners [PDF - 1.5 MB] (National Association of Local Boards of Health [NALBOH]) – document to help local health agencies address environmental health workforce issues

Careers in Environmental Health(Association of Environmental Health Academic Programs [AEHAP]) – links to programs that highlight the benefits and importance of teaching environmental health in all geographic and ethnic communities:

• AEHAP Programs Brochure [PDF - 137 KB]

Environmental Health Core Competencies [PDF - 555 KB] (American Public Health Association; CDC) – fourteen core competencies for local environmental health practitioners are identified to improve the effectiveness of their work

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