Environmental Public Health Tracking In fiscal years 2002 and 2003, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded cooperative agreements to 20 state and local health departments and three schools of public health (1) to build environmental public health capacity, (2) to increase collaboration between environmental and health agencies, (3) to identify and evaluate environmental and health data systems, (4) to build partnerships with nongovernmental organizations and communities, and (5) to develop model systems link ing environmental and health data that other states or localities can use. CDC is funding schools of public health to support state and local health departments and to investigate possible links between health effects and the environment. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), in collaboration with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) , received one of these awards. The Illinois Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) pro ject is developing a network for the ongoing collection, integration, analysis and interpretation of data about environmental hazards, exposure to environmental hazards and human health effects potentially related to these exposures. This project also is responsible for disseminating findings from these data. As part of a bigger national network, the EPHT project’s mission is to enhance quality of life by integrating and analyzing environmental and health data. Findings will help to prevent and control environmental contamination, exposure and adverse health effects through information, public policy or administrative actions. A planning consortium, comprising representatives from state agencies, local health departments and nongovernmental organizations, meets quarterly to provide oversight for the program and to guide its future direction . Tulane University, in New Orleans, La., is providing technical oversight and resources to Illinois for the project. Other Links CDC: Environmental Public Health Tracking Home Page Hit the back button, or use this link to get back to the Epidemiologic Studies main page. |