Strengthening environmental health capacity (EHC) to detect, prevent, and control environmental health hazards through data-driven, evidence-based approaches; pilot EHR/ COVID-19 community mitigation

The environmental health capacity (EHC) funding opportunity seeks to strengthen the nation's environmental health (EH) capacity to protect public health by strengthening the capacity of public health departments using 3 strategies to address specific EH topics and issues. This will ensure safe and healthy environments and improve community health status. The 3 strategies are (1) using EH data and information, (2) identifying and addressing EH hazards, and (3) assessing the effectiveness and impact of EH interventions. All EHC projects must provided activities, objectives, and performance measures that encompases the three primary EHC strategies. This project will be initiated through the CDC environmental health capacity (EHC) project Component B and Component C, the purpose of this project is to assess the implementation of COVID-19 community mitigation strategies in communities disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Focus will be on mitigation strategies promoting behaviors that prevent the spread of the virus and maintain healthy environments (e.g., cleaning and disinfection, proper ventilation, safe water systems, etc.). Project objectives include identifying any existing challenges and differences in strategy implementation to prevent COVID-19 transmission and reduce impact among racial and ethnic minority groups, people with lower incomes and/or experiencing poverty or homelessness, low-wage essential workers, and rural communities. This project will be initiated through the CDC environmental health capacity (EHC) project Component B and Component C, the purpose of this project is to determine the feasibility and utility of environmental health records EHRs to provide access to more current data with a minimal delay between cancer diagnosis and reporting, to serve as a potential source of environmental risk factor data, and to provide more complete data relative to sociodemographic factors to better identify inequities.