What to know
Find out whether your jurisdiction is already a NEARS participant and if not, register to become one.
Find out if your program is registered
Check the list of current NEARS participants to see if your state program is already registered.
- If your program is not registered, follow the instructions below.
- If your program is registered, contact your NEARS administrator to get started. Email NEARS@cdc.gov if you need your administrator's contact information.
Register
Identify an administrator who will submit the NEARS registration forms. The site administrator should be knowledgeable about food safety and foodborne illness outbreaks in your area. Key responsibilities include reviewing and verifying the entered data to ensure quality.
Have the site administrator complete and email the following forms to NEARS@cdc.gov:
- All programs should fill out the notice of participation form.
- Local programs should also fill out the state notice and acknowledgment of local participation form. CDC encourages state participation, but local food safety programs can register and begin reporting outbreak data to NEARS even if their state does not participate.
Get set up
After your program is registered, get set up with the system.
- The administrator should assign investigators who will collect NEARS data during outbreak investigations. There is no limit to the number of data collectors, but all should know how to conduct environmental assessments of foodborne illness outbreaks.
- CDC highly recommends data collectors and administrators take CDC's free Environmental Assessment Training Series (EATS). Successful completion of this interactive course will improve data quality in NEARS.
Content Source:
National Center for Environmental Health