Environmental Public Health Tracking is the ongoing collection, integration, analysis, and interpretation of data about the following factors:
Environmental hazards
Exposure to environmental hazards
Health effects potentially related to exposure to environmental hazards
In 1988, in its report “The Future of Public Health,” the Institute of Medicine noted that the removal of environmental health authority from public health agencies has led to fragmented responsibility, lack of coordination, and inadequate attention to the health dimensions of environmental problems.
In January 2001, the Pew Environmental Health Commission issued the report “America’s Environmental Health Gap: Why the Country Needs a Nationwide Health Tracking Network.” The report, which stated that the existing environmental health system is neither adequate nor well organized, recommended the creation of a “Nationwide Health Tracking Network for disease and exposures.”
Currently, no systems exist at the state or national level to track many of the exposures and health effects that may be related to environmental hazards. In addition, in most cases, existing environmental hazard, exposure, and disease tracking systems are not linked together. Because existing systems are not linked, it is difficult to study and monitor relationships among hazards, exposures, and health effects.
CDC’s National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program has the lead in building a nationwide network that obtains integrated health and environmental data. CDC’s goal is to develop a tracking system that integrates data about environmental hazards and exposures with data about diseases that are possibly linked to the environment. The CDC has engaged many stakeholders including federal, state, and local health and environmental agencies; nongovernmental organizations, state public health and environmental laboratories, and schools of public health.
EPHTN funded states:
California
Connecticut
Florida Illinois Louisiana
Massachusetts
Maryland
Maine
Missouri
Montana
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New YorkState
New York City
Oregon Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Utah
Washington
Wisconsin
In the year 2009, six new states were added : Colorado Kansas Louisiana Minnesota South Carolina Vermont
Contact information for the EPHTN principal Investigator and the corresponding vital records director can be found in the Directory of Currently Funded States.Jurisdictions have two implementation phases scheduled for October 2008 and October 2010.By October 1, 2008 jurisdictions are required to incorporate data from at least two of the following data sources: birth defects, cancer, child blood levels, or vital statistics.By October 1, 2010, they are to incorporate data from all the data sources.
To facilitate the funded states, NAPHSIS has developed a model MOU (memorandum of
understanding) between the EPHTN (Environmental Public Health Tracking Network) Grantee Agency and that state's Vital
Records/Health Statistics Unit.
NAPHSIS’ Responsibilities
NAPHSIS is currently in the third year of a 3 year cooperative agreement with the CDC Environmental Public Health Tracking Program.The CDC has partnered with the data stewards of those data sources essential to the development of the network.The objectives for this project are classified into three broad areas:
1) Provide education and awareness to NAPHSIS members regarding the EPHTN and to EPHTN members regarding vital records.2)Promote data standards. 3)Evaluate PHIN compatibility of electronic vital records reporting systems and web-based query systems.
To support users and partners of the tracking network, the CDC has developed a course titled Environmental Public Health Tracking 101. This is an online modular course covering the basic principles of environmental public health tracking.The course is on the National Environmental Health Association’s Web site.
