According to recent research from Sacramento, United States, 'Sabbatical Goal As an environmental health specialist working with the California Department of Public Health as an emergency planner, I was interested in the NEHA sabbatical exchange program for the opportunity it affords its awardees to see how Canada and the United Kingdom utilize their environmental health workforce. Specifically, I wanted to examine the role environmental health has in the preparations being made for the 2012 Olympic Games to be held in London.'
'I had a special interest in the emergency preparedness efforts related to the games as my work involves promoting the integration of environmental health into the emergency response structure. In California, enviromnental health services are delivered by several state agencies as well as 62 local jurisdictions. This multifaceted system tends to diminish the important role environmental health plays in disaster response and recovery operations due to the lack of a central focus, and as a result, environmental health is often an overlooked resource. This situation is not unique to California, as the emergency management system in the United States. has traditionally focused primarily on ''blue light'' first responders: police, fire, and emergency medical services,' wrote M. Barnett and colleagues (see also Environmental Health).
The researchers concluded: 'After an article caught my eye on involving environmental health in emergency planning, posted on the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) (NEHA's counterpart in the UK) Web site, I became intrigued and used it to form the basis of my sabbatical mission.'
Barnett and colleagues published their study in the Journal of Environmental Health (Keep Calm and Carry On: The 2009 NEHA Sabbatical Exchange Ambassador Report. Journal of Environmental Health, 2011;73(10):20-23).
For additional information, contact M. Barnett, Center Environmental Health, California Dept. of Public Health, 1500 Capital Avenue, 5th Floor MS 0511, Sacramento, CA 95899, United States.
Publisher contact information for the Journal of Environmental Health is: National Environ Health Association, 720 S Colorado Blvd. Suite 970, South Tower, Denver, CO 80246, USA.
Keywords: City:Sacramento, State:California, Country:United States, Region:North and Central America, Conservation, Ecology, Environmental Health
This article was prepared by Health & Medicine Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2011, Health & Medicine Week via NewsRx.com.
