Environmental Public Health Tracking: Building a Sustainable Standards-based National Network

Environmental Public Health Tracking: Building a Sustainable Standards-based National Network

 

 

Patrick Wall, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Center for Environmental Health

Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects

Environmental Health Tracking Branch

1600 Clifton Road, N.E., MS E-19

Atlanta, GA 30333

 

 

Environmental Public Health Tracking (Tracking) is the ongoing collection, integration, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of data from environmental hazard monitoring, and human exposure and health effects surveillance. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is currently leading the initiative to build a National Tracking Network which will integrate data from these three components into a network of standardized electronic data that will provide valid scientific information on environmental exposures and adverse health conditions as well as the possible spatial and temporal relations between them. In September 2002, the Tracking Program began to fund state and local partners to begin the process of developing the National Tracking Network. The Tracking Program relies on the efforts of these state and local level partners and, in the summer of 2006, CDC funded state and local partners to initiate full implementation of the Tracking Network.

 

The speaker will present an overview of the Tracking Program including its mission, vision, and goals. The presentation will detail the current status of activities related to implementing a sustainable standards-based national Tracking Network in a collaborative environment.  Additionally, the presenter will describe the components and content of the Tracking Network that will allow Tracking Network to facilitate the linkage of environmental information to health outcomes.  Finally, the presentation will address various achievements, next steps, and challenges that have been identified by the described activities and projects.