One of the principal goals of conducting a community
environmental health assessment (CEHA) process is to
improve the health status of a community and thereby to achieve
CDC’s Healthy Communities Goal:
“Increase the number of communities that protect, and promote
health and safety and prevent illness and injury in all their
members” (Healthy Communities)
The Protocol for Assessing Community Excellence in Environmental Health (PACE EH) began in July 1995 as a multiyear partnership between the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and the National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH).
PACE EH is the methodology promoted by
NCEH and
NACCHO to
conduct CEHAs in both domestic and international settings. PACE
EH offers guidance to communities and local health
officials for conducting community-based environmental health
assessments to
- identify environmental health issues,
- prioritize the identified issues,
- develop action plans, and
- evaluate the progress to address selected issues.
Why Use a CEHA Process in
Your Community?
PACE EH was designed to improve the environmental health
decision-making process by strengthening community involvement
so that public values and priorities are considered. The
PACE EH
guidebook (Spanish
version) [PDF, 933 KB] offers guidance for improving local environmental
health status and redefining the role of leadership in local
environmental health.
Results from the PACE EH process evaluation conducted by the
Battelle Centers for Public Health Research and Evaluation
concluded that the major impacts of implementing a CEHA such as the one recommended in
PACE EH include the following:
- Building networks and collaboration.
- Improving knowledge and skills in environmental health issues and collaborative processes.
- Increasing awareness of environmental health concerns.
- Increasing trust between collaborators.
- Strengthening the perception of the health agency as leader.
How Do CEHAs Strengthen
Environmental Health Programs?
PACE EH and other CEHA
processes can be used to operationalize the
10 Essential
Services of Environmental Public Health.
Local environmental health agencies most often mention the
following essential services being strengthened as part of
their PACE EH processes:
Assessment
- Monitor Health
- Diagnose and Investigate
Policy Development
- Inform, Educate, and Empower
- Mobilize Community Partnerships
- Develop Policies
Assurance
- Assure a Competent Workforce