Planning and Capacity Building Activities
| Grantee: | Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene |
|---|---|
| Contact: | Diane L. Matuszak, MD, MPH |
| Telephone: | 410-767-6742 |
| E-mail: | dmatuszak@dhmh.state.md.us |
| Address: | Community Health Administration 201 West Preston Street Baltimore, MD 21201 |
| Web site: | http://www.dhmh.state.md.us/ [external link] |
| Funded Since: | September 30, 2002 |
| Funded Program: | National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program, Part A |
Program Description:
The Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) is working through an Interagency Coordinating Group (ICG) to launch, coordinate, and oversee progress for the Maryland environmental health tracking initiative. The group comprises six staff members from the DHMH and the Maryland Department of the Environment and will plan action steps, set interim goals and deadlines, address problems and ensure the completion of tasks. In addition, the ICG ensure collaboration and stakeholder involvement. The DHMH proposes to use funds to:
- Enhance the state’s capacity for biomonitoring by purchasing
essential laboratory equipment and hiring an additional laboratory
scientist
- Inventory existing Maryland databases for environmental hazards,
human exposures, and health effects
- Assess each database for its utility and potential for integration
and linkage within an environmental public health tracking system
- Engage and develop partnerships with stakeholders in the
community, academia, and federal, state, and local government agencies
in the planning and development of Maryland’s environmental public
health tracking system
- Develop a planning consortium
- Set initial priorities for the environmental health tracking
system
- Participate in national meetings and conference calls for the
development of standards and best practices in environmental public
health tracking
- Assess statutory and regulatory authorities for, and barriers to,
an environmental public health tracking system
- Upgrade databases that do not comply with national standards, such
as the National Electronic Disease Surveillance System
- Train environmental, healthcare, and public health professionals
- Develop a staged plan for an environmental public health tracking
system in Maryland to include direct electronic data reporting and
linkages within, between, and among hazard, exposure, and health
effect databases
- Examine environmental public health indicators in relation to the
priorities set for Maryland
- Continually evaluate and improve the developing environmental public health tracking system.
