Taking Action With Data: Improving Environmental Public Health at the Community Level

Abstract

Efforts to increase use of our data catalyzed development of small-scale environmental health projects. This minigrants program was successful at building relationships between local health departments and Wisconsin Tracking, increasing awareness of Wisconsin Tracking data and resources, and contributing to numerous documented public health improvements throughout Wisconsin.

Understanding Emerging Environmental Health Concerns and Environmental Public Health–Tracking Priorities Among State and Local Professionals in Colorado

“…The Colorado EPHT program has responded to these study results by including subcounty lead exposure risk information (ie, related to indoor home environments), prioritizing expansion of its data sets (eg, including marijuana usage data and updating radon and private well water data), and engaging in further dialogue with local professionals, thereby strengthening the state's ties to localities, as other states' EPHT programs have done. 19 "Public Health 3.0," from the US Department of Health & Human Services, recommends this type of state-local collaboration to share data collection and analysis duties, enabling production and examination of timely and locally relevant data. 30 Participants also discussed a lack of interinstitutional trust and clear decision-making authority with historical and contemporary environmental health issues, underscoring the continued presence of the tangled environmental Web.…”

“…17,18 This type of data is contained in environmental public health-tracking (EPHT) databases for historical threats, and it has informed a variety of response and preparation measures, such as creating targeted interventions, or informing surveillance efforts, at national, state, and local levels. 19,20 With evolving environmental health concerns, EPHT priorities will require strategic updates to continue informing public health decision making at all levels of government. 21 Together, the increasing complexity of environmental challenges with stagnant or declining budgetary resources prompted this investigation into Colorado's local environmental and public health professionals' perspectives regarding contemporary challenges and current capacity to respond to these emerging issues.…”

“…These limitations hinder investigation, for instance, into what new information is needed about the environmental exposures and health outcomes associated with emerging concerns 17,18. This type of data is contained in environmental public health–tracking (EPHT) databases for historical threats, and it has informed a variety of response and preparation measures, such as creating targeted interventions, or informing surveillance efforts, at national, state, and local levels 19,20. With evolving environmental health concerns, EPHT priorities will require strategic updates to continue informing public health decision making at all levels of government 21…”