Environmental Health

Giving you the tools to keep your environment safe, no matter your climate.


Environmental health focuses on the health interrelationships between people and their environment, promotes human health and well-being, and fosters a safe and healthful environment.

NACCHO, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is administering the second nationwide assessment of local vector control organizations in the United States.

  • Food Safety & Inspection
  • Opportunity

NACCHO Seeks Local Health Expert to Serve on CDC’s Food...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would like to recruit experts to serve on the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Surveillance Working Group.

NACCHO Seeks Local Health Expert to Serve on CDC’s Food...

New Resource

WASH Preparedness Resource Library

This new, open-access toolkit includes information, guidance, and tools to help local health departments become water-ready.

New Resource

WASH Preparedness Resource Library

Flood

Deadline Extended!

Become a “Water Prepared Local Health Department”

NACCHO & CDC are offering technical assistance to implement the 'What makes a water-prepared LHD?' checklist in their jurisdictions. Apply by Nov. 30!

Deadline Extended!

Become a “Water Prepared Local Health Department”

NACCHO’s environmental health portfolio addresses the most pressing environmental health issues facing the world today, and NACCHO has numerous tools and resources available to help support local health departments in their environmental health initiatives.

Click an environmental health program area to learn more:

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Climate Change

NACCHO’s program to support climate change Initiatives at local health departments.

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Climate Change

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Environmental Public Health Tracking

NACCHO’s program to support local health departments’ environmental public health tracking activitie

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Environmental Public Health Tracking

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Vector Control

NACCHO’s program to support local health departments’ vector-borne disease control activities.

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Vector Control

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Food Safety and Defense

NACCHO’s program for local health department food safety and defense activities.

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Food Safety and Defense

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Retail Program Standards Mentorship Program

Check out NACCHO's peer mentorship program to help jurisdictions meet the FDA Retail Program Standards. 2020-2021 applications are now open!

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Retail Program Standards Mentorship Program

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Environmental Justice

NACCHO resources for environmental justice and equity.

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Environmental Justice

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Healthy Community Design

Information and resources from NACCHO's Program for Healthy Community Design.

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Healthy Community Design

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Health in All Policies

Health in all Policies (HiAP) is a change in the systems that determine how decisions are made.

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Health in All Policies

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Health Impact Assessment

NACCHO Program designed to help LHDs assess their impact on public health.

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Health Impact Assessment

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Water

NACCHO’s compilation of resources and information related to clean water.

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Water

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Community Water Fluoridation

The fluoridation of water for optimal dental health is a proper means of protecting public health.

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Community Water Fluoridation

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Model Aquatic Health Code (MAHC) Network

Community for MAHC users, subject matter experts, and those hoping to learn about the code itself

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Model Aquatic Health Code (MAHC) Network

Environmental Health

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Preparedness

Access to safe drinking water, adequate sanitation, and hygiene are critical for protecting public health.

Environmental Health

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Preparedness

See a summary of all current environmental health programs and highlighted resources.

The Greener Side of Local Public Health is NACCHO’s monthly environmental health e-newsletter, featuring news and resources, events and opportunities, funding announcements, and original NACCHO commentary related to environmental health, climate change, and food safety.

Food Safety Leaders' List is NACCHO's monthly food safety e-newsletter, featuring news, policy updates, events, and resources. Subscribers also have the opportunity to provide input to shape policy at local health departments across the nation

Follow the instructions below to subscribe to these and other NACCHO e-newsletters:

  1. Log in to MyNACCHO (or create a free account).
  2. Go to “My Subscriptions.”
  3. Check the box next to any other e-newsletters you wish you receive.
  4. Click “Save” at the bottom of the page.

The Essential Elements of Local Public Health provides updates and information from NACCHO’s environmental health and infectious disease portfolios, which include a range of projects that influence policy with federal decision makers and develop practice solutions that help local health departments build safe, sustainable communities. NACCHO supports local health departments in fostering a safe and healthful environment that promotes human health and well-being, in ensuring capacity to respond to and control infectious diseases, and in development of innovative tools and resources. Through advocacy and communications efforts, NACCHO works to ensure that the values and concerns of local health departments are represented within state, local, and federal agencies.

Read the blog.

Throughout NACCHO's outreach to environmental health leaders around the country, we’ve heard that there is a strong desire for a streamlined method to connect, collaborate, and share with peers in their region and similarly organized jurisdictions. This is especially true, given the reality of increasing environmental health related issues, decreasing funding, and a changing public health workforce. Previously, there has been no formal way to make such a connection.

NACCHO is addressing this by piloting a Local Environmental Health Directors & Managers Collaborative. Hosted on NACCHO’s Virtual Communities platform, the Collaborative is designed to foster a dynamic community and serve as a simple forum for sharing and discussing best practices, available resources, and innovative ideas.

Learn more and join the Collaborative.

NACCHO’s Environmental Public Health Workgroup engages partners from the local to the federal level to address the environmental health issues facing the world today. The workgroup, which is supported by the Division of Emergency and Environmental Health Services branch of the National Center for Environmental Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, includes members from local health departments across the United States. The group works to grow and elevate NACCHO’s environmental health program; focus on continuous quality improvement; and provide effective strategies and tools to address existing and emerging environmental public health issues.

Learn more about NACCHO's Workgroups.

NACCHO has developed numerous policy statements on environmental health issues ranging from indoor air quality to childhood lead poisoning. Policy statements can be used to shape programs and positions at the local level, provide justification for increased capacity and funding, and provide guidance on how to respond to address existing and emerging issues.

View environmental health policy statements here.

Greener Guidance Submission Form

Greener Guidance is NACCHO's environmental health advice column, published monthly. See past columns here: http://essentialelements.naccho.org/archives/category/all/greener-guidance.

Anyone is welcome to submit environmental health questions, challenges, or concerns to Greener Guidance. All questions will be anonymous in the column, unless otherwise specified.

Questions may pertain to particular environmental health challenges you are facing within your local health department, or it could be a broader environmental health concern.

Contact environmentalhealth@naccho.org with any questions.

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Programs

Jennifer Li

Senior Advisor, Programs

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Environmental Health Program

Chelsea Gridley-Smith

Director of Environmental Health

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Environmental Health Program

Bridget Kerner

Senior Program Analyst

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Environmental Health Program

Amy Chang

Senior Program Analyst

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Public Health Preparedness Program

Deise G. Leonel

Senior Program Analyst, Public Health Preparedness

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