NEHA E-news

April 4, 2008

15 AEC & Exhibition Scholarships – Applications Accepted April 15 – May 15
Update on the NEHA AEC & Exhibition in Tucson
CFSP Credential Name Change
IEHA (Illinois) hosts REHS/RS Review Course, April 22-23
Walter B. Snyder Award – Nomination Deadline Extended - May 1st
FREE! Pre-Conference Workshops Available at NEHA's 2008 AEC & Exhibition
New REHS/RS Review Course at NEHA AEC & Exhibition
NEHA Receives New Grants from CDC and FDA
Contribute to the 22nd Annual NEHA Silent Auction
Download FREE Children’s Environmental Health Presentations
Journal of Environmental Health Author in the News
Purchase NEHA Recommended REHS/RS and CP-FS Credential Study Guides
REHS/RS and CP-FS Study Courses and Exams to be Offered at the NEHA AEC

February 26, 2008

NEHA Program Receives NSF Leadership Award
NEHA responds to the FDA Food Protection Plan
Michigan Legislation Identifies NEHA Publication as Standard
National Recognition for REHS/RS State Credential Holders
EHAC Accreditation Guideline Revisions
CCDEH Launches “Careers in Environmental Health”
Free! Online Environmental Health Courses

Don’t miss out! Exciting Scholarship Opportunity for 2008 AEC & Exhibition!

NEHA members, affiliates, and prospective members are invited to apply to win one of 15 scholarships, totaling $10,500 for the NEHA 2008 AEC & Exhibition!

NEHA and Decade Software Company, LLC encourage qualified EH professionals to apply for this opportunity to win a $700 scholarship, covering one full conference registration and including $205 for travel allowance.

Applications will be accepted from April 15 through May 15 to allow for selection and travel arrangements to be completed prior to the AEC & Exhibition. Stay tuned to the Decade Software and NEHA Web sites for additional information, including the application form. Also, be sure to check out the May and June issues of the Journal of Environmental Health for details!

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Update on the NEHA AEC & Exhibition in Tucson!

Have you seen it? The conference brochure for the NEHA AEC & Exhibition has hit the streets, and in it you will find information about the educational sessions and activities scheduled to take place at this year’s big event! However, the brochure isn’t large enough to include everything that’s going to take place at the conference, so stay tuned for up-to-date information about additional sessions and activities being planned!

This is going to be the most unique conference NEHA has ever sponsored with changes focused on enhancing your educational, networking, and partnership development opportunities. If you’re as excited as we are about this event, please encourage your friends and colleagues to visit neha.org to find out more, register for the conference, and have them join you at the AEC & Exhibition!

Please help us distribute the conference brochure by saving and e-mailing it to all your friends and colleagues in environmental health.

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CFSP Credential Title Changed

The Certified Food Safety Professional (CFSP) credential title has been changed to “Certified Professional – Food Safety (CP-FS).” If you have this credential, learn more about this change and what it means for you.

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Register Now for IEHA REHS/RS Review Course – April 22-23

The Illinois Environmental Health Association (IEHA) is hosting an REHS/RS Review Course, April 22 - 23, 2008, at Heartland Community College in Normal, IL. Registration deadline is April 8, 2008!

The course will be taught by Walter Saraniecki, M.S., L.D., R.S., and a team of environmental health professionals currently working in the field. For more information, please contact IEHA at 815-562-1040 or visit www.ieha.us.

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Nominate now! Deadline Extended for Walter F. Snyder Award
NEHA and NSF International are looking for qualified applicants for the Walter F. Snyder Award for Achievement in Attaining Environmental Quality – so don’t lose out on this opportunity to nominate your fellow EH professional by the new extended deadline of May 1, 2008!
To nominate, simply complete the form (PDF, MS-Word), including all pertinent information about the candidate's qualifications for the award. Visit the NSF International Web site for additional details.

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FREE Pre-Conference Workshops Available at NEHA’s 2008 AEC & Exhibition

NEHA is pleased to offer the following pre-conference educational opportunities to interested and qualified attendees at no cost.

Biology and Control of Insects and Rodents Workshop (Friday & Saturday, June 20 & 21): For information and a workshop application, please contact Susan Jerles.
Environmental Health Training in Emergency Response (EHTER)—Introductory Level Train-the-Trainer Course (Friday & Saturday, June 20 & 21): For information and a course application, please contact Christl Tate.
Epi-Ready Team Training—Foodborne Illness Response Strategies Workshop (Friday & Saturday, June 20 & 21): For information and a workshop application, please contact Elizabeth Ostertag.
Environmental Public Health Performance Standards Workshop: Building Local and National Excellence (Saturday, June 21): For information and a workshop application, please contact Kristen Kuhar.
Guidance on Moisture and Mold: A Workshop for Environmental Health Professionals and Health Providers (Saturday, June 21): No application is necessary, register online now.

For a complete listing of all pre-conference workshops, please click here.

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NEW REHS/RS Course Premiering at 2008 AEC & Exhibition
This two-day REHS/RS Review Course will be offered June 20-21, from 8am – 5pm at the 2008 NEHA AEC & Exhibition in Tucson, AZ. The cost of the course is $399 for NEHA members and $499 for nonmembers. This pricing package includes the course book, which will be distributed to registered students on site, REHS/RS exam and application fees, and breakfast and lunch for both days of the course. The course and course book may also be purchased without the exam and application fees for $299 for NEHA members and $399 for nonmembers.

The course, sponsored by NEHA, will be taught by professional trainer, Walter Saraniecki, M.S., L.D., R.S., who developed and taught the course for over 10 years. We are pleased to offer this new course designed to enhance your preparation for the REHS/RS exam!

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NEHA Receives New Grants from CDC and FDA

The grants, awarded to the NEHA Research & Development (R&D) program, provide partial support for the 2008 AEC & Exhibition, allowing NEHA to continue hosting a top-notch and innovative conference, while reducing costs to our attendees!

A grant was also awarded by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists through a CDC Cooperative Agreement to coordinate the Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response (CIFOR) Training Workgroup. The CIFOR Training Workgroup consists of representatives from various organizations working to improve outbreak response.

For more information on these programs, please contact Vanessa De Arman at vdearman@neha.org or at 303-756-9090, ext. 311.

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Contribute to the 22nd Annual NEHA Silent Auction

The NEHA Silent Auction is both a fund-raiser and a fun-raiser. Individuals, exhibitors, and affiliate associations contribute to both by donating an item to this extremely popular event at the AEC & Exhibition which is open on Sunday, June 22 and Monday, June 23. The funds raised will help NEHA continue to bring you the high quality speakers that you find at every AEC.

Items must be received at the NEHA office by May 30 or you may bring an item to the conference with you. Please fill out a contribution form now.

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FREE Children’s EH Presentations Available on NEHA Web site

Through a grant from the Dow Chemical Corporation Foundation, Charles Lichon from the Midland County Health Department has created several PowerPoint presentations covering topics in children’s environmental health that are now available on NEHA’s Web site.

These presentations cover topics pertinent to children’s environmental health, such as body art, food, recreational water, methamphetamines, and safe sun exposure. Health professionals and educators can utilize these presentations for junior or high school student trainings, or they can be customized for community outreach programs. The presentations are concise—designed to be presented in a 25–35 minute time frame— and allow for sufficient time for questions and answers in a single class or training session. Further programs will be developed to add to the current group of informative health presentations.

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Journal of Environmental Health Author in the News – Lemon Wedges

JEH author Anne LaGrange-Loving, science professor and microbiologist at Passaic County Community College, Patterson, NJ, made national headlines with a recent study on contamination on lemon wedges served in restaurants. Read the study that was published in the Journal of Environmental Health (December, 2007). Loving appeared in this NBC Today Show (February 27, 2008) and the study was featured in several local and national stations.

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REHS/RS and CP-FS Credential Study Guides Available From NEHA

Registered Environmental Health Specialist/Registered Sanitarian (REHS/RS)
You may purchase NEHA recommended study materials to help you prepare for the REHS/RS exam or just to self-test yourself to insure that you are up on our field of practice. Individuals holding the REHS/RS credential show competency in environmental health issues, direct and train personnel to respond to routine or emergency environmental situations, and frequently provide education to their communities on environmental health concerns.

Certified Professional - Food Safety (CP-FS)
The CFSP is now the CP-FS! The Certified Professional - Food Safety is still especially for food safety professionals and is designed for individuals within the public and private sectors whose primary responsibility is the protection and safety of food. You may purchase NEHA recommended study materials to help you prepare for the CP-FS exam or to self test yourself to insure that you are on top of your field.

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REHS/RS and CP-FS Study Courses and Exams to be Offered at the NEHA AEC & Exhibition

NEHA is offering anyone interested in either of these two credentials the opportunity to attend study courses for each just prior to the AEC & Exhibition. Students are also invited to sit for the exam of their choice immediately after the courses. Only qualified applicants will be able to sit for an exam. A separate application for the NEHA credentials is required and due to NEHA by May 7, if you wish to take one of our exams at the AEC & Exhibition in Tucson. Please visit NEHA’s Credentialing Department for more information.

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NEHA Program Receives NSF Leadership Award

NEHA’s Epi-Ready Team Training program has been recognized as the 2008 recipient of the NSF International (NSF) Food Safety Leadership Award in Education and Training for outstanding leadership in foodservice safety. Each year NSF recognizes groundbreaking food safety achievements as part of its ongoing commitment to help protect the public from foodborne illness. To date, Epi-Ready Team Training workshops have been conducted in 20 different locations and over 1,200 students in 46 states have been trained in the principles of outbreak investigation.

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NEHA Responds to the FDA Food Protection Plan

In November 2007, The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a Food Protection Plan, described as “a forward-oriented concept that uses science and modern information technology to identify potential hazards ahead of time. By preventing most harm before it can occur, enhancing intervention methods at key points in the food production system, and strengthening our ability to respond immediately when problems are identified, FDA can provide a food protection framework that keeps the American food supply safe.” This plan is intended to address both food safety and food defense for domestic and imported products, and is integrated with the Administration’s Import Safety Action Plan.

Our NEHA Technical Section chairs, Jason Bashura and Michele.Samayra-Timm, have reviewed this plan and have issued feedback to FDA from NEHA’s perspective. View the full report.

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Michigan Legislation Identifies NEHA Publication as Standard

NEHA is in the news again helping to set standards and practices! On December 13, 2007, Michigan Governor Granholm approved, effective immediately, a revision to the State of Michigan Public Health Code regulating body art facilities. The revision, now state law, references the NEHA publication, Body Art: A Comprehensive Guidebook and Model Code, as a standard for practices and enforcement. The particular section states: “(4) Unless they conflict with standards of this part or rules are promulgated by the department regarding safety standards, a local health department shall use as guidance in enforcing this part the safety standards issued by the national environmental health association [sic] in ‘Body Art: A Comprehensive Guidebook and Model Code’.”

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National Recognition for REHS/RS State Credential Holders

“Stretch” your credential across the United States! Add the distinction of a national credential to your resume along with the state credential you currently have.

NEHA offers REHS/RS holders the opportunity to become nationally recognized! If you hold a state REHS/RS credential, you may be eligible to receive NEHA’s REHS/RS credential without re-examination through a reciprocity agreement with your state. (Certain terms apply.)

What does a NEHA nationally recognized credential potentially mean for you?

An opportunity for higher levels of individual compensation
A mark of distinction for your competencies
Evidence of your commitment to environmental health
A greater bank of employment opportunities

For additional information on qualifying for National REHS/RS Reciprocity, please contact the NEHA Credentialing Department at 303.756.9090 ext. 337 or e-mail credentialing@neha.org.

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EHAC Accreditation Guideline Revisions

This year, the National Environmental Health Science & Protection Accreditation Council (EHAC) will be reviewing and revising accreditation guidelines for environmental health degree programs. Your feedback is valuable. If you have comments/suggestions about the accreditation guidelines, please comment on this form. A copy of the current guidelines is also available here.

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CCDEH Launches “Careers in Environmental Health”

Careers in Environmental Health, a new section of the California Conference of Directors of Environmental Health (CCDEH) web site, is devoted to helping EH professionals learn more about what it takes to begin a career as an R.E.H.S. in California. Visitors to the site can also find useful links to other organizations and EH programs at universities throughout California.

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FREE Online Training Courses with Continuing Education Credits!

CDC's Environmental Health Services Branch, in collaboration with NEHA, is providing three free online training courses for EH practitioners and students: Environmental Health Training in Emergency Response, National EnvPHPS, and Biology and Control of Insects and Rodents/IPM.

NEHA is providing automatic continuing education credit to NEHA-credentialed individuals for those successful passing each of the courses and course completion certificates for all others.

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