Using Environmental Public Health Tracking Data to Assess State Public Health Laws

In addition to tracking many of the exposures and health effects that may be related to environmental hazards, CDC’s Environmental Public Health Tracking Network is a tool that can be used by policymakers to assess the effectiveness of public health laws.  The tracking network provides standardized data that can be used to compare and contrast public health policy approaches from various jurisdictions.  

With support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Conference of State Legislatures has conducted research on select environmental public health laws in states participating in CDC’ Environmental Public Health Tracking Network.  This research analyzed different state approaches to reducing environmental exposures and adverse health conditions and compared these approaches using health outcome data from the Tracking Network.  

This session will provide an overview of select states’ environmental public laws targeting three health outcomes: asthma, childhood lead poisoning, and carbon monoxide poisoning.  Asthma prevention policies include surveillance, education and intervention programs.  State childhood lead poisoning prevention policies include different standards for lead in paint, dust, soil, water and consumer products, as well as surveillance and intervention programs.  While carbon monoxide detector requirements are the primary state strategy for preventing carbon monoxide poisonings, the scope of these laws vary by state. 

For each of the three targeted health outcomes, different state policy approaches will be presented and analyzed using specific data on asthma hospitalization rates, elevated blood lead levels in children, and carbon monoxide poisoning hospitalizations. 

Using dashboards to make more sense of your data

Our inspectors had used a software program to collect inspection results since 2002, but the reports were a dead end and did not lead to data manipulation or to a corrective action system to drive improvement. In 2009, Sodexo decided to invest on closing the loop with their USMC client serving the troops at Garrison mess halls in the continental United States. Released in phases during 2011, the program is now live and provides our customers with the ability to track their progress and opportunities for improvement. Each level of the management hierarchy was consulted for their needs and desires when developing this custom web site that captures information. This should help us move towards a goal of being transparent and help the environment since in the future all concerned parties can log in and view results in 'real' time vs. having to rely on printed copies of reports and inspections.

Look Inside a State-Wide Environmental Reporting System Project

For three years many California businesses paid a $25 electronic reporting surcharge in addition to their regular annual permit fees. The funds, approximately $10M, were collected to develop a state-wide system known as the California Environmental Reporting System, or CERS.

The expectations for CERS are substantial:

• Eliminate paper by collecting facility forms on the web

• Establish automated workflows for regulators to review/approve applications electronically

• Transfer data to local regulators (e.g., Health Departments) by partnering with commercial software vendors and local IT

• Establish and sustain a state-wide database of facilities and program details
  

Beginning in 2009, state and local regulators worked against budget crisis, furloughs, hiring freezes, and steep technical requirements to achieve these ambitious goals. Commercial software companies continue to focus on bringing their customers along. Small and large businesses watch with interest, some actively resisting, some skeptical, and some excited for the prospect of eliminating paper.

The legal implementation deadline is January, 2013. In this interactive session, let’s review the origins and implementation (the good and bad) of the California Environmental Reporting System (CERS). With only six months to go until the project goes “live,” we will see the dynamic interaction of organizational culture, people, and technology.

While this particular project is limited to six programs in the hazardous materials category, it spotlights a desire held by many state and federal agencies… how can one gain access to the significant data collected and curated at the local level? Also, local agencies will want to know how businesses will respond to special technology fees and the prospect of typing-in their own forms on the web. Finally, and most importantly, can all these moving parts be brought together in time?