The Colorado School of Public Health is compiling a list of trainings and resources to include on a new training website for conducting environmental assessments during foodborne illness outbreaks. The website goal is to increase the quality of environmental assessments by organizing and vetting existing training and resources. Target users include environmental health practitioners in state, tribal, local, and territorial health agencies involved in foodborne illness outbreaks.
The project is funded by the National Network of Public Health Institutes through a cooperative agreement with The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Environmental Health Services Branch.
Environmental Assessment Topics include, but are not limited to:
- Contributing Factors
- Environmental Antecedents
- Communication
- Interview skills
- Report Writing
- Traceback Investigations
- Specimen Collection
- Record review
Trainings have already been identified from the following agencies: NACCHO; the Food and Drug Administration’s ORA University; the National Center for Biomedical Research and Training; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the National Environmental Health Association; the Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response; the International Association for Food Protection; and the Integrated Food Safety Centers of Excellence. However, trainings or resources from state, local and tribal agencies are of particular interest.
Are you aware of useful trainings or resources for environmental assessments conducted during a foodborne illness outbreak investigation? Has your local health department developed a useful training for its own staff? Please contact Leslee Warren by March 15, 2016.
