Component B and C Project Descriptions EH20-2005.docx

B1. Safe water - Private wells

CDC-RFA-EH20-2005

Strengthening environmental health capacity (EHC) for detecting, preventing, and controlling environmental health hazards through data-driven and evidence-based approaches

GENERAL INFORMATION

Component B: Programs and services – strengthens capacity of EH programs and services in areas such as drinking water, recreational water, water management, rodent control, food safety, exposure assessment, outbreak investigations, and other programs/services provided by EH departments.

Component C: Priority and emerging hazards and issues – strengthens capacity to address specific priority EH hazards or issues such as harmful algal blooms, premise plumbing hazards, extreme weather events, as well as environmental public health issues related to homelessness and other conditions that may impact the environment.

Overview: This project to improve access to safe drinking water aims to:

1. Identify wells and related conditions or factors that may present a risk to human health.

1. Identify interventions that address the risk.

1. Select and implement the best intervention.

1. Determine whether the intervention worked.

PROJECT DETAILS

Expected Outcomes:

1. Hazards in drinking water obtained from private wells identified and controlled.

2. Effectiveness of intervention(s) implemented to reduce hazards and improve access to safe drinking water monitored, described, and documented.

3. EH safe water programs use evidence-based practices to identify and reduce drinking water hazards and improve access to safe drinking water.

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES

Strategy 1: Strengthen EH data use and informatics capacity

Activity 1a: Improve information systems and EH informatics capacity to support identification and characterization of hazards associated with the use of private well water.

Activity 1b: Identify and evaluate the utility of EH datasets for identifying actions needed to reduce hazards associated with private well water.

Actvitiy 1c: Establish platforms and protocols for collecting, analyzing, and making EH data about private well water publicly available. Ensure protection of personally identifiable information. Please see: Data.Gov for additional guidance on open data.

Activity 1d: Provide training to strengthen technical competencies for EH professionals on the use of data to identify and address safe drinking water hazards and issues with access to safe drinking water.

Strategy 2: Identify, prevent, and control EH hazards

Activity 2a: Analyze, identify, and describe conditions that prevent access to safe drinking water. Use WHO developed service indicators – water quality, quantity, coverage, continuity, and affordability as described in WHO Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality2. Service indicator examples include:

· Lack of access to a community water system (coverage and/or affordability).

· Poorly developed, aging wells vulnerable to contamination (quality, continuity, quantity, and affordability).

· Recommended treatment system not installed, used, or maintained (affordability and quality).

· Water not accessible every day throughout the year (continuity).

· Unknown water quality (test affordability, quality).

· Water source impacted by drought (seasonal and prolonged), extreme weather and climate variability (flooding, fires), and normal seasonal variation (quality, quantity, continuity).

Activity 2b: Develop interventions to control hazards and improve access to safe drinking water.

Strategy 3: Assess EH intervention effectiveness and impact

Activity 3a: Assess intervention(s) implemented to reduce EH hazards associated with drinking water for their effectiveness, efficiency, and ability to inform evidence-based decision making. Kochtitzky3 provides more information on identifying evidence for best practices.

Activity 3b: Develop a report that describes the process followed to identify issues, develop intervention options, and select best intervention for implementation.

EVALUATION AND PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT

Measure 1a: Increased access to private well data through electronic information systems.

Measure 1b: Percent of accessible electronic well information containing important data points such as well location, water quality information, and other information and data.

Measure 1c: Establishment of an open access portal or data-sharing site that protects personally identifiable information. Stakeholders (especially community members) can access information related to private wells and source water quality.

· Specific metrics may include information on site specific and regional barriers to safe drinking water from private wells (geological formations, shallow aquifiers, historical ground water contamination records, periods of extended drought, low yield wells, other information and data).

Strategy 2: Identify, prevent, and control EH hazards

Measure 2a: Description of how water quality, quantity, coverage, continuity, and affordability issues are identified, prevented, and controlled. Indicators of interest include the following:

· Percent of the population using drinking water from private wells.

· Percent of population using drinking water from private wells that meet microbial, chemical, radiological, and physical standards. Applicants should describe water quality based on hazards prioritized in their communities.

· Percent of the population using private wells that provide optimal access to quantities of water for all domestic household purposes (safe drinking water, food preparation, laundry, and hygiene).

· Percent of the population obtaining water from a private well without access to a public drinking water supply.

· Percentage of the population obtaining water from a private well with access to public drinking water supply.

· Percent of the population relying on private wells unable to meet one or more safe water access variable—quality, quantity, coverage, continuity, affordability.

Strategy 3: Assess EH intervention effectiveness and impact

Measure 3a: Evaluation of interventions and actions taken to protect water sources, eliminate hazards, and increase access to safe drinking water. The evaluation should include the following:

· Defensible criteria for selecting and prioritizing actions, interventions, and EH practices.

· Most important data types and sources used by decision-makers and stakeholders.

· Evidence of safe water program effectiveness and efficiency.

COLLABORATIVE WORK

· With other CDC programs and CDC-funded organizations: N/A

· With organizations not funded by CDC: Based on an applicant’s strategy, collaborations, partnerships, and outreach, the applicant should include descriptions of work with other environmental and public health departments, departments of environmental quality and management, departments of natural resources, state and national geological surveys, public and private laboratories, real estate associations, universities, state extension agencies, rural community assistance partnerships, and other stakeholder groups involved in providing services to private well owners.

FUNDING AND BUDGET INSTRUCTIONS

· Estimated number of awards: 16

· Estimated average per award: $100,000

General instructions for use of funds, as applicable: Funding may support personnel, laboratory and/or office supplies, travel, training and communications materials, code/licensing/regulatory expenses, sampling supplies, specimen storage and shipping costs, and other supplies needed for capacity building and/or an effective response to a situation involving water sampling or the implementation of preventive maintenance strategies. Future year funding is not guaranteed. Recipients of funding should budget for required travel to participate in CDC partner meetings (one meeting per year).

REFERENCES AND GUIDANCE (if applicable)

Cited references:

1. Dieter CA, Maupin MA, Caldwell RR, Harris MA, Ivahnenko TI, Lovelace JK, et al. Estimated use of water in the United States in 2015. U.S. Geological Survey Circular 1441 [supersedes USGS open-file report 2017–1131]. Reston, VA: U.S. Geological Survey; 2018. Available from URL: https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/cir1441 [accessed 2019 Dec 31].

2. World Health Organization. Guidelines for drinking-water quality. 4th ed. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO; 2011. Available from URL: https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/publications/drinking-water-quality-guidelines-4-including-1st-addendum/en/ [accessed 2019 Dec 31].

3. Kochtitzky C. Applying a general best practices identification framework to environmental health. J Environ Health. 2014;77(4):40-43. Available from URL: https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/docs/jeh/2014/nov-eh-framework.pdf [accessed 2019 Dec 31].

Additional references:

Gerding JA, Landeen E, Kelly KR, Whitehead S, Dyjack DT, Sarisky J, et al. Uncovering environmental health: an initial assessment of the profession’s health department workforce and practice. J Environ Health. 2019;81(10):24-33. Available from URL: https://www.neha.org/sites/default/files/jeh/JEH6.19-Feature-Uncovering-EH.pdf [accessed 2019 Dec 31].

U.S. Census Bureau. What is rural America? [homepage on the internet]. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau. Available from URL: https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2017/08/rural-america.html [accessed 2019 Dec 31].

B2. Safe water - Recreational water, swimming pools

Strengthening environmental health capacity (EHC) for detecting, preventing, and controlling environmental health hazards through data-driven and evidence-based approaches

GENERAL INFORMATION

Component B: Programs and services – strengthens capacity of environmental health (EH) programs and services in areas such as drinking water, recreational water, water management, rodent control, food safety, exposure assessment, outbreak investigations, and other programs/services provided by EH departments.

Component C: Priority and emerging hazards and issues – strengthens capacity to address specific priority EH hazards or issues such as harmful algal blooms, premise plumbing hazards, extreme weather events, as well as environmental public health issues related to homelessness and other conditions that may impact the environment.

Overview: This project aims to prevent hazards and harmful exposures at recreational water facilities. Facilities of concern are swimming pools, hot tubs and spas, waterparks, and other venus regulated by the public health authority.

PROJECT DETAILS

Expected outcomes:

1. Risk factors that lead to adverse health outcomes in regulated recreational water settings are identified by collecting and using EH recreational water facility data.

2. Partnerships among regulated recreational water facility operators, epidemiological, laboratory, and EH established to address recreational water hazards and harmful exposures.

3. EH recreational water facility data publicly available and easy to access and use.

4. Evidence for the effectiveness of safe recreational water programs in preventing and eliminating hazards and harmful exposures documented.

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES

Strategy 1: Strengthen EH data use and informatics capacity

Activity 1a: Assess EH information and recreational water data systems used by public health department EH programs and partners (for example, laboratory information systems) to determine whether these systems adequately identify and characterize recreational water hazards and harmful exposures.

Activity 1b: Improve existing or develop a new recreational water data system able to identify and describe recreational water hazards and harmful exposures.

Activity 1c: Ensure the recreational water data system is open to the public and data and information are presented in a format that allows the public to understand identified recreational water facility deficiencies and action taken to correct them.

Activity 1d: Develop or improve aquatic facility inspection data by standardizing data collection.

· Recipients can use materials from the Model Aquatic Health Code (MAHC) to standardize data collection (with modifications based on local needs). Critical violations associated with the MAHC can be found in Conducting an Inspection Using the MAHC (https://www.cdc.gov/mahc/pdf/MAHC-Cross-reference-2019-508c.pdf) and the MAHC Aquatic Facility Inspection Report (https://www.cdc.gov/mahc/pdf/MAHC-Form-2019-508c.pdf).

Strategy 2: Identify, prevent, and control EH hazards

Activity 2a: Form partnerships among recreational water facility operators; EH professionals; and epidemiologists, toxicologists, and laboratorians to analyze, identify, and characterize hazards and determine needed interventions.

Activity 2b: Collect and organize recreational water inspection and epidemiological data to identify areas of concern (common violations, illnesses and exposures, characteristics such as geography and aquatic venue type) and gaps in recreational water programs and to prepare data for trend analysis.

Activity 2c: Conduct trend analyses to identify areas of concern and develop interventions and program improvement efforts needed to reduce the frequency of deficiencies and address potential hazards.

Strategy 3: Assess EH intervention effectiveness and impact

Activity 3a: Assess implemented interventions to determine effectiveness and sustainability.

Activity 3b: Assess current pool code, regulations, and inspection processes to determine adequacy, effectiveness, and program efficiency. Determine whether incorporating aspects of CDC’s MAHC or other guidelines/processes would improve safe recreational water programs.

EVALUATION AND PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT

Measure 1a: Assess EH information systems used by public health departments and partners (for example, laboratory information systems) to identify recreational water hazards and harmful exposures. The assessment report should describe:

· Types of information systems managed or used by partners.

· Information sharing process used to identify and characterize hazards and exposures.

· Strengths and weaknesses of current information systems.

· Needed and implemented information systems improvements.

Measure 1b: Identify and describe data needs

· Available data and information identified and described.

· Data and information gaps identified.

Measure 1c: Recreational water data publicly available through an open access portal.

· Publicly available data standardized, easy to access, and easy to understand.

Measure 1d: Aquatic facility inspection data standardized.

Strategy 2: Identify, prevent, and control EH hazards

Measure 2a: Description of partnerships formed between EH professionals and other professions (epidemiology, toxicology, laboratory) for identifying hazards and determining needed interventions.

· Roles and responsibilities of partners defined.

· How partners share or combine data to improve program effectiveness and efficiency described.

Measure 2b: Recreational water inspection data collected and organized to identify areas of concern (geographic, aquatic venue type, common violations) and data prepared for trend analysis.

Measure 2c: Trend analysis data used to develop interventions needed to reduce the frequency of facility deficiencies.

· Description of frequently occurring deficiencies.

· Description of gaps in recreational water program.

· Description of interventions implemented to address deficiencies.

Strategy 3: Assess EH intervention effectiveness and impact

Measure 3a: Interventions assessed to determine effectiveness and sustainability.

· Description of how interventions were assessed.

· Description of how evaluation changed or improved selection and implementation of interventions.

· Evidence of the effectiveness of implemented interventions documented.

Measure 3b: Existing pool code, regulations, and inspection processes assessed to determine adequacy, effectiveness, and efficiency of safe recreational water programs. Describe action taken to improve the safe recreational water programs.

· Description of evaluation methodology.

· Description of identified program gaps.

· Description of how gaps were closed (incorporation of the MAHC or other guidelines).

COLLABORATIVE WORK

· With organizations not funded by CDC: Based on an applicant’s strategy, potential collaborations, partnerships, and outreach could include work with, but not limited to, environmental and public health departments, aquatics industry, non-governmental organizations, the Council for the Model Aquatic Health Code (CMAHC), academicians, recreational water communities, public and private laboratories, CDC partners, and other stakeholder groups involved in providing services to public health departments.

FUNDING AND BUDGET INSTRUCTIONS

· Estimated number of awards: 4

· Estimated average per award: $50,000

General instructions for use of funds, as applicable: Funding may support personnel, laboratory and/or office supplies, travel, training and communications materials, code/licensing/regulatory expenses, sampling supplies, specimen storage and shipping costs, and other supplies needed for capacity building and/or an effective response to a situation involving water sampling or the implementation of preventive maintenance strategies. Future year funding is not guaranteed.

REFERENCES AND GUIDANCE (if applicable)

References:

B3. Safe water - Recreational water, beaches

Strengthening environmental health capacity (EHC) for detecting, preventing, and controlling environmental health hazards through data-driven and evidence-based approaches

GENERAL INFORMATION

Component B: Programs and services – strengthens capacity of environmental health (EH) programs and services in areas such as drinking water, recreational water, water management, rodent control, food safety, exposure assessment, outbreak investigations, and other programs/services provided by EH departments.

Component C: Priority and emerging hazards and issues – strengthens capacity to address specific priority EH hazards or issues such as harmful algal blooms, premise plumbing hazards, extreme weather events, as well as environmental public health issues related to homelessness and other conditions that may impact the environment.

Overview: This project aims to prevent hazards and harmful exposures at marine, estuarine, Great Lakes, and inland waters designated for primary contact recreational use. This project will support development of comprehensive and effective, safe programs and interventions for untreated recreational water.

PROJECT DETAILS

Expected outcomes:

1. Risk factors that lead to adverse health outcomes in untreated recreational water settings identified by collecting and using recreational water data.

2. Partnerships among untreated recreational water managers, epidemiological, laboratory, and EH established to address recreational water hazards and harmful exposures.

3. Untreated recreational water data publicly available and easy to access and use.

4. Evidence for the effectiveness of public health departments safe recreational water programs in preventing and eliminating hazards and harmful exposures.

5. Evidence-based safe recreational water interventions developed and implemented.

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES

Strategy 1: Strengthen EH data use and informatics capacity

Activity 1a: Assess EH information and untreated recreational water data systems used by public health departments and partners (for example, laboratory information systems) to determine whether these systems adequately identify and characterize untreated recreational water hazards and harmful exposures.

Activity 1b: Improve existing or develop a new data system to identify and describe untreated recreational water hazards and harmful exposures.

Activity 1c: Develop a public recreational water data system that presents data and information in an understandable format. The system will help the public understand untreated recreational water hazards and exposure risks as well as protective action needed to protect individual and public health.

Strategy 2: Identify, prevent, and control EH hazards

Activity 2a: Form partnerships among untreated recreational water facility or area managers; EH professionals; and epidemiologists, toxicologists, and laboratorians to analyze, identify, and characterize hazards and exposures and determine needed interventions.

Activity 2b: Collect and organize data on untreated recreational water quality, site inspection, and epidemiological information to identify areas of concern (common threats, illnesses and exposures, characteristics such as geography and aquatic venue type). Use this information to identify and close gaps in untreated recreational water programs and to prepare data for trend analysis.

Activity 2c: Conduct trend analyses to identify areas of concern and develop and implement interventions and program improvement efforts to reduce occurrence of hazards and harmful exposures.

Strategy 3: Assess EH intervention effectiveness and impact

Activity 3a: Assess implemented interventions to determine effectiveness and sustainability.

Activity 3b: Assess current regulations, site inspection processes, EH data collection processes, and other program activities to determine adequacy, effectiveness, and program efficiency. Identify changes needed to improve the untreated recreational water program.

EVALUATION AND PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT

Measure 1a: Assess public health department EH data systems to identify untreated recreational water hazards and harmful exposures. The assessment report should describe:

· Types of information systems managed or used.

· Information sharing process used to identify and characterize hazards and exposures.

· Strengths and weaknesses of current information systems.

· Needed and implemented improvements to information systems.

Measure 1b: Data system needs identified and described.

· Available data and information identified and described.

· Data and information gaps identified.

Measure 1c: Recreational water data publicly available through an open access portal.

· Publicly available data standardized, easy to access, and easy to understand.

Strategy 2: Identify, prevent, and control EH hazards

Measure 2a: Description of partnerships formed or supported between public health department EH programs and others (for example, epidemiology, toxicology, laboratory) for identifying hazards and determining needed interventions.

· Roles and responsibilities of partners defined.

· How partners share or combine data to improve program effectiveness and efficiency described.

Measure 2b: Recreational water site inspection data collected and organized to identify areas of concern (geographic, aquatic venue type, common threats) and data prepared for trend analysis.

Measure 2c: Trend analysis results used to develop interventions needed to reduce occurrence of hazards and harmful exposures.

· Description of frequently occurring hazards and harmful exposure.

· Description of gaps in untreated recreational water programs.

· Description of interventions implemented to reduce hazards and harmful exposures.

Strategy 3: Assess EH intervention effectiveness and impact

Measure 3a: Interventions assessed to determine effectiveness and sustainability.

· Description of how interventions were assessed.

· Description of how evaluation changed or improved selection and implementation of interventions.

· Evidence of the effectiveness of implemented interventions documented.

Measure 3b: Current regulations, site inspection processes, EH data collection processes, and other program activities assessed. Adequacy, effectiveness, and program efficiency determined. Changes needed to improve the untreated recreational water program identified and implemented.

· Description of assessment methodology.

· Description of identified program gaps.

· Description of how gaps were closed.

· With other CDC programs and CDC-funded organizations: N/A

· With organizations not funded by CDC: Based on the applicant’s strategy, potential collaboration, partnerships, and outreach could include work with environmental health programs and public health agencies, departments of environmental quality and management, departments of natural resources, fish/game and wildlife services, parks services, the aquatics industry, or others. Collaborations might also include recreational water communities or public and private laboratories.

Applicants should review information about One Health (https://www.cdc.gov/onehealth/index.html), which recognizes the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment.

FUNDING AND BUDGET INSTRUCTIONS

· Estimated number of awards: 4

· Estimated average per award: $50,000

General instructions for use of funds, as applicable: Funding may support personnel, laboratory and/or office supplies, travel, training and communications materials, code/licensing/regulatory expenses, sampling supplies, specimen storage and shipping costs, and other supplies needed for capacity building and/or an effective response to a situation involving water sampling or the implementation of preventive maintenance strategies. Future year funding is not guaranteed.

REFERENCES AND ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE (if applicable)

References

1. Graciaa DS, Cope JR, Roberts VA, Cikesh BL, Kahler AM, Vigar M, et al. Outbreaks associated with untreated recreational water—United States, 2000-2014. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2018;67(25):701-06. Available from URL: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6725a1.htm [accessed 2020 Jan 3].

B4. Safe water - Small community water systems

Strengthening environmental health capacity (EHC) for detecting, preventing, and controlling environmental health hazards through data-driven and evidence-based approaches

GENERAL INFORMATION

Component B: Programs and services – strengthens capacity of EH programs and services in areas such as drinking water, recreational water, water management, rodent control, food safety, exposure assessment, outbreak investigations, and other programs/services provided by EH departments.

Component C: Priority and emerging hazards and issues – strengthens capacity to address specific priority EH hazards or issues such as harmful algal blooms, premise plumbing hazards, extreme weather events, as well as environmental public health issues related to homelessness and other conditions that may impact the environment.

Overview: This project to improve access to safe drinking water aims to:

1. Identify conditions or factors at small and very small community water systems (CWS) and non-community water systems (NCWS) that may present a risk to human health.

2. Identify interventions that address the risk.

3. Select and implement the best intervention.

4. Determine whether the intervention worked.

PROJECT DETAILS

The focus of this project is small and very small community water systems (CWS) and non-community water systems (NCWS). NCWS include Non-Transient Non-Community Water Systems and Transient Non-Community Water Systems.

Outcomes expected from this project:

1. Hazards in drinking water from small and very small CWS and NCWS identified and controlled.

2. Effectiveness of intervention(s) implemented to reduce hazards and improve access to safe drinking water monitored, described, and documented.

3. Evidence-based practices used by EH safe water programs to identify and reduce drinking water hazards and improve access to safe drinking water.

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES

Strategy 1: Strengthen EH data use and informatics capacity

Activity 1a: Improve information systems and EH informatics capacity to support identification and characterization of hazards associated with the use of water from small and very small CWS and NCWS.

Activity 1b: Identify and evaluate the utility of EH datasets for identifying EH actions needed to reduce hazards associated with small and very small CWS and NCWS.

Activity 1c: Establish platforms and protocols for collecting, analyzing, and making EH data about small and very small CWS and NCWS publicly available. Ensure protection of personally identifiable information. Please see: Data.Gov for additional guidance on open data.

Activity 1d: Provide training to strengthen technical competencies for EH professionals on the use of data to identify and address drinking water hazards and access to safe drinking water.

Strategy 2: Identify, prevent, and control EH hazards

Activity 2a: Analyze, identify, and describe conditions that prevent access to safe drinking water. Use service indicators developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) – water quality, quantity, coverage, continuity, and affordability as described in WHO Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality2. Service indicator examples include:

· Lack of access to a CWS (coverage and/or affordability).

· Poorly developed, aging infrastructure vulnerable to contamination (quality, continuity, quantity, and affordability).

· Recommended treatment system not installed, used, or maintained (affordability and quality).

· Water not accessible every day throughout the year (continuity).

· Water quality and sampling challenges (test affordability, quality).

· Water source impacted by drought (seasonal and prolonged), extreme weather and climate variability (flooding, fires), and normal seasonal variation (quality, quantity, continuity).

Activity 2b: Develop interventions to control hazards and improve access to safe drinking water.

Strategy 3: Assess EH intervention effectiveness and impact

Activity 3a: Assess intervention(s) implemented to reduce EH hazards associated with drinking water for their effectiveness, efficiency, and ability to inform evidence-based decision making. Kochtitzky3 provides more information on identifying evidence for best practices.

Activity 3b: Develop a report that describes the process followed by safe water programs to identify issues, develop intervention options, and select the best intervention(s) for implementation.

EVALUATION AND PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT

Measure 1a: Increase in access to small and very small CWS and NCWS data through electronic information systems.

Measure 1b: Increase in accessible electronic information containing important data points such as water source, water quality information, and other information and data.

Measure 1c: Establishment of an open-access portal or data-sharing site that protects personally identifiable information. Stakeholders (especially community members) can access information related to small and very small CWS and NCWS and source water quality.

· Specific metrics may include information on site specific and regional barriers to safe drinking water from small and very small CWS and NCWS. (geological formations, shallow aquifiers, historical records of ground and surface water contamination, periods of extended drought, low-yield wells, and other information and data).

Strategy 2: Identify, prevent, and control EH hazards

Measure 2a: Description of how water quality, quantity, coverage, continuity, and affordability issues are identified, prevented, and controlled. Indicators of interest include the following:

· Percent of the population using drinking water from small and very small CWS and NCWS. .

· Percent of population using drinking water from small and very small CWS and NCWS that meet microbial, chemical, radiological, and physical standards. Applicants should describe water quality based on hazards prioritized in their communities.

· Percent of the population using small and very small CWS and NCWS that provide optimal access to quantities of water for all domestic household purposes (safe drinking water, food preparation, laundry, and hygiene).

· Percent of the population relying on small and very small CWS and NCWS unable to meet one or more safe water access variable—quality, quantity, coverage, continuity, affordability.

Strategy 3: Assess EH intervention effectiveness and impact

Measure 3a: Assessment of interventions and actions taken to protect water sources, eliminate hazards, and increase access to safe drinking water. The assessment should include the following:

· Defensible criteria for selecting and prioritizing actions, evidence-based interventions, and EH practices.

· Most important data types and sources used by decision-makers and stakeholders.

· Evidence of safe water program effectiveness and efficiency.

COLLABORATIVE WORK

· With organizations not funded by CDC: Based on an applicant’s strategy, collaborations, partnerships, and outreach, the applicant should include descriptions of work with public health department EH programs, departments of environmental quality and management, departments of natural resources, state and national geological surveys, public and private laboratories, real estate associations, universities, state extension agencies, rural community assistance partnerships, and other stakeholder groups involved in providing services to owners of CWS and NCWS.

FUNDING AND BUDGET INSTRUCTIONS

· Estimated number of awards: 5

· Estimated average per award: $100,000

General instructions for use of funds, as applicable: Funding may support personnel, laboratory and/or office supplies, travel, training and communications materials, code/licensing/regulatory expenses, sampling supplies, specimen storage and shipping costs, and other supplies needed for capacity building and/or an effective response to a situation involving water sampling or the implementation of preventive maintenance strategies. Future year funding is not guaranteed. Recipients of funding should budget for required travel to participate in CDC partner meetings (one meeting per year).

REFERENCES AND GUIDANCE (if applicable)

Cited references:

1. Allaire M, Wu H, Lall, U. National trends in drinking water quality violations. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2018;115(9):2078–2083. Available from URL: https://www.pnas.org/content/115/9/2078. [accessed 2019 Dec 31].

2. World Health Organization. Guidelines for drinking-water quality. 4th ed. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO; 2011. Available from URL: https://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/publications/drinking-water-quality-guidelines-4-including-1st-addendum/en/ [accessed 2019 Dec 31].

3. Kochtitzky C. Applying a general best practices identification framework to environmental health. J Environ Health. 2014;77(4):40-43. Available from URL: https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/docs/jeh/2014/nov-eh-framework.pdf [accessed 2019 Dec 31].

Additional references:

U.S. Census Bureau. What is rural America? [homepage on the internet]. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau. Available from URL: https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2017/08/rural-america.html [accessed 2019 Dec 31].

C1. EH hazards resulting from natural disasters

Strengthening environmental health capacity (EHC) for detecting, preventing, and controlling environmental health hazards through data-driven and evidence-based approaches

GENERAL INFORMATION

Component B: Programs and services – strengthens capacity of EH programs and services in areas such as drinking water, recreational water, water management, rodent control, food safety, exposure assessment, outbreak investigations, and other programs/services provided by EH departments.

Component C: Priority and emerging hazards and issues – strengthens capacity to address specific priority EH hazards or issues such as harmful algal blooms, premise plumbing hazards, extreme weather events, as well as environmental public health issues related to homelessness and other conditions that may impact the environment.

Overview: This project aims to reduce or mitigate the impact of identified disaster-related of EH hazards through the development and implementation of EH interventions implemented after a disaster.

PROJECT DETAILS

Expected outcomes:

1. Identification and reduction of disaster-related EH hazards.

2. Effective interventions developed and implemented to address disaster-related EH hazards.

3. EH programs have capacity to identify and eliminate post-disaster EH hazards.

4. Interventions demonstrated to be effective and sustainable.

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES

Activities should address the public health department’s needs for strengthening capacity to respond to, recover from, or mitigate EH-related impacts resulting from or exacerbated by eligible 2018/2019 disasters. Examples of EH topics and functions for which increased capacity is needed may include the following:

· Air quality and asthma

· Mold

· Drinking water

· Wastewater

· Food safety

· Rodent control

· Radiation

· Siting and hazard assessments of early care and education facilities

· Environmental health inspections

· Community EH needs assessments

· Disaster-related mortality surveillance

Strategy 1: Strengthen EH data use and informatics capacity

Activity 1a: Assess and improve information systems and informatics capacity to support identifying and characterizing environmental health hazards that resulted from or were exacerbated by covered disasters.

Activity 1b: Identify and evaluate the utility of EH datasets for identifying environmental health needs or hazards arising from the covered disaster.

Activity 1c: Establish platforms and protocols for collecting, analyzing, and making EH data publicly available during and after a covered disaster to promptly and accurately assess immediate and long-term needs.

Activity 1d: Provide training to strengthen EH professional technical competencies in using data to identify and address EH needs or hazards arising from the covered disaster.

Strategy 2: Identify, prevent, and control EH hazards

Activity 2a: Determine and use scientific methods or processes for identifying EH hazards that resulted from or were exacerbated by covered disasters.

Activity 2b: Identify and implement interventions proven to be effective in mitigating the effects of environmental hazards that resulted from or were exacerbated by covered disasters.

Activity 2c: Build partnerships for collaborative approaches to identify and control environmental health hazards related to covered disasters.

Activity 2d: Conduct EH hazard assessments of communities affected by covered disasters.

Activity 2e: Assess and improve surveillance to better monitor the effects on public health of the covered disasters.

Strategy 3: Assess EH intervention effectiveness and impact

Activity 3a: Assess intervention(s) implemented to respond to, recover from, or mitigate the effects of covered disasters on EH topics and issues and evaluate their effectiveness, efficiency, and ability to inform evidence-based decision making.

Activity 3b: Generate evidence that demonstrates the effectiveness of interventions and services that address priority EH needs related to the covered disasters.

EVALUATION AND PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT

Measure 1a: List and describe data sources used for identifying EH needs or hazards.

Strategy 2: Identify, prevent, and control EH hazards

Measure 2a: List and describe the scientific methods or processes employed and how they are used to identify EH hazards.

Measure 2b: Provide a report describing the completed assessments, how they were undertaken, and the results of the assessments.

Measure 2c: List and describe the interventions and how they were identified and implemented.

Strategy 3: Assess EH intervention effectiveness and impact

Measure 3a: List and describe the interventions assessed, how they were evaluated, and the results of the assessments.

COLLABORATIVE WORK

· With other CDC programs and CDC-funded organizations: Recipients may be expected to collaborate with different CDC programs and technical staff depending on project EH topic area or function being addressed. Collaboration with CDC communications programs and staff may also be expected for activities that produce communications products, such as outreach and educational campaigns and materials and public health messaging.

· With organizations not funded by CDC: Based on the applicant’s strategy, potential collaboration, partnerships, and outreach could include work with, but is not limited to, other environmental and public health agencies and non-governmental organizations. Applicants may have opportunities to request support from non-governmental organizations to assist with equipment and supplies procurement and to assist with other administrative processes. Although counties are not eligible applicants for this NOFO, state governments in which impacted counties are located may apply in order to directly collaborate with and provide resources to the impacted counties.

NCEH expects applicants to develop collaborations pertinent to the proposed work plan. Applicants can document collaborations by providing letters of support, memoranda of understanding, or interagency plan that detail the nature and extent of the involvement from the performing organization and outside entity.

FUNDING AND BUDGET INSTRUCTIONS

· Estimated number of awards: 10

· Estimated average per award: $450,000

General instructions for use of funds, as applicable: Funding may support staff time, travel, shipping, printing, contracting for services or products and purchasing supplies and equipment. Contracted services may include but are not limited to developing tools, guidance documents, protocols and surveys; collecting, organizing, analyzing and/or interpreting environmental health data; conducting assessments and surveillance; evaluating environmental public health interventions, services, processes; training environmental health practitioners and other health department staff, community leaders, and the public about disaster related environmental health hazards and risks, and creating communications products, such as outreach and educational campaigns and materials and public health messaging. Future year funding is not guaranteed.

References and additional guidance (if applicable)

References: