October 2020: Direct From CDC/Environmental Health Services

Direct From CDC/Environmental Health Services Column

October 2020 Journal of Environmental Health (Volume 83, Number 3)

Editor's Note: NEHA strives to provide up-to-date and relevant information on environmental health and to build partnerships in the profession. In pursuit of these goals, we feature a column on environmental health services from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in every issue of the Journal.

In these columns, authors from CDC's Water, Food, and Environmental Health Services Branch, as well as guest authors, will share insights and information about environmental health programs, trends, issues, and resources. The conclusions of these columns are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position of CDC.

Empowered by Tracking: Using Data to Solve Public Health Problems

Chad Curtiss, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Ann Ussery-Hall, MPH, MCHES, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Description

Environmental health problems require data to be solved. As a result, public health professionals are, by nature, data explorers. Attempting to identify, measure, and respond to pressing environmental health problems requires reliable data that are accessible, understandable, timely, and actionable. Data do not, however, collect themselves. They must be collected and put into a useable format. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Environmental Public Health Tracking Program (Tracking Program) does exactly that. This month's column explores the benefit and use of the Tracking Program, as well as highlights several valuable tools for environmental health professionals.

Read the October 2020 JEH Direct From CDC/Environmental Health Services Column in Full

EMPOWERED BY TRACKING: USING DATA TO SOLVE PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEMS (PDF)