National Environmental Health Policy Network

NALBOH, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center of Environmental Health, has created the National Environmental Health Policy Network (NEHPN). NEHPN will provide board of health members and other local officials with resources, education, training, and technical assistance to improve core environmental health services using a Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach. NEHPN will educate officials about HiAP, a policy making approach that seeks to improve health by considering health in policies in sectors outside of health and healthcare.

NALBOH is seeking participants for the NEHPN. Current board of health members, county commissioners, and other local government officials engaged in environmental health policy are eligible to apply. Since HiAP encourages a collaborative approach to policy making, NALBOH will ask all board of health members who apply to identify another local official as a potential participant and future partner.

Download the NEHPN Application now. (pdf)

You may save and submit the application by email, fax to: 419.352.6278, or mail to: NALBOH, 1840 E Gypsy Lane Rd, Bowling Green, OH 43402.

TOOLS AND RESOURCES

American Public Health Association – Health Impact Assessment (HIA): A Tool to Benefit Health in All Policies

National Research Council – Improving Health in the United States – The Role of Health Impact Assessment

Public Health Law and Policy – Sustainable Policy Worksheet

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation – Health Impact Assessments: A Tool for Promoting Health in All Policies

ONLINE COURSES AND WEBINARS

Making Data, Policy and Politics Work for Public Health
Offered through the Michigan Public Health Training Center, this course intended for public health professionals and decision makers provides the needed knowledge base to locate, interpret, and use health related data to influence public and policy needs. The 2.5 hour course is free and can be taken individually or in a group setting.

Effective Leadership for Healthy Communities: Concepts, Collaborations and Case Studies
This course covers the fundamental concepts of collaborative leadership and clarifies the multiple layers of influence that impact health. Course topics include the nature of successful collaboration and a discussion of the collaborative leadership practices. This free course requires 3-5 hours to complete and continuing education credits are available.

The Power of Policy: A Cost-Effective Tool for Improving Population Health (Archived webinar)
With presentations from Georges Benjamin, APHA executive director; Judith Monroe, CDC OSTLTS director; Thomas Farley, New York City Health Commissioner; and Paul Kuehnert, Kane County, IL Public Health Director, this webinar presented solutions to policy formation effecting health. Topics addressed include an overview of public policy and its role in health policy; cost-effective policy initiation measures including the CDC’s Six Winnable Battles, the National Prevention Strategy, and the Community Guide; examples of policy implementation on federal, state, and local levels as proven successful in New York City; and overcoming fiscal challenges in public health policy development as implemented in Kane County, IL. This hour long webinar concludes with a question and answer session and further resources mentioned in the webinar can be found on the APHA web-site.

Eight Essential Elements for Strong Public Health Policy (Archived Webinar)
This webinar by Public Health Law and Policy describes how to craft sustainable public health policy that supports healthier environments by defining the problem, finding policy solutions that work and locating resources for help.

Transportation, Health, and Equity Webinar Series
The American Public Health Association’s archived webinar series includes the topics community health and transportation planning, the health benefits from active transportation, health impact assessments (HIAs) in transportation, and preventing roadway fatalities and injuries.

HEALTH IN ALL POLICIES LINKS

American Planning Association

California’s Health in All Policies Task Force

CDC’s Healthy Community Design Initiative

Community Commons

Green Cities California

Health Impact Project

Healthy People 2020

Human Impact Partners

International City/County Management Association – Smart Growth

Model Aquatic Health Code

National Center for Healthy Homes