Larry J Gordon

Teaching Health Policy and Politics in U.S. Schools of Public Health

Because most public health endeavors in the United States are funded by the public sector, public health practitioners need to be adept at working within the political system. However, the 1988 Institute of Medicine report, The Future of Public Health, found that many public health professionals are ignorant or disdainful of political processes and will not participate in activities that they perceive to be political. Our study examined the health policy and politics curricula of the 24 accredited schools of public health in the U.S., finding that most public health students are not exposed to these areas during their graduate coursework. Moreover, those students who do take health policy and politics courses study these areas within the context of health care delivery; the politics of public health and prevention are ignored by most schools of public health. Recommendations for improving public health curricula in health policy and politics are presented, including linkages with prevention activities.

Impact of Hazardous Waste on Human Health: Hazard, Health Effects, Equity, and Communications Issues

Nature and Extent of Hazardous Waste * Public Health Assessment. Exposure Assessment * Toxicology of CERCLA Hazardous Substances * Human Health Studies * Workers Health and Safety * Risk Communication * Environmental Equity * Comparative Risk Assessment.

An examination of the educational needs for environmental health and protection.

The practice of environmental health and protection is at a crossroads. Expanded responsibilities throughout this nations agencies, prescriptive statutory mandates, and shrunken resources for fundamental public health services have combined to change the infrastructure and the workforce. This article presents the results of the Crossroads Colloquium, a forum of leaders in environmental health, convened to address the educational needs of the workforce. Major recommendations from the Crossroads Colloquium include redefining training by moving from discipline-specific to multidisciplinary training, developing collaborations among agencies, academia, and industry for training and education, and providing opportunities ranging from distance education to graduate degree programs.

Public Health Practitioner Incubation Plight: Following the Money Trail

Schools of public health have a proud history of educating personnel for leadership roles in the field of practice. Such personnel have played key roles in developing public health. Over the years, however, the missions of the schools of public health have become blurred. To a significant degree, a focus on health care has displaced public health as schools have followed the money trail. Often research takes precedence over teaching, so that, ironically, research findings are not disseminated to those who will practice public health. Educating personnel for practitioner leadership roles in environmental health and protection is inadequate. These and other trends have serious, long-term ramifications for public health practice. This article offers suggestions for improving the situation, including making use of practitioners in schools of public health, encouraging partnerships between practitioners and academics for research and funding support, developing paid student practica, developing a market for MPH graduates, and changing the accreditation requirements of the Council on Education for Public Health.

Does Public Health Still Include Environmental Health and Protection

0OES the public health community still include environmental health and protection as a full partner? Do current public health leaders understand the scope, complexity, changing dimensions, as well as the political, public health, ecological and economic q c importance of environmental health and protection? Our nations environmental protection programs are public health programs and would not exist but for the public health bases and goals of the various environmental protection programs. However, despite egocentric public health conventional wisdom, attitudes and rhetoric, organized public health includes and perhaps understands only a relatively small portion of our nations environmental health and protection activities. For the most part, responsibility for environmental health and protection is now in the hands of environmental advocates, attorneys, economists, sociologists, engineers and political scientists. The barn doors have either been left open, or intentionally opened by various forces in our society. However, the results are the same, as most of the environmental health and protection horses are gone. Many public health leaders are apparently unaware that the public health establishment has lost organizational responsibility for most environmental health and protection activities at the federal and state levels, and continues to lose responsibility at the local level. To a significant degree, these changes have occurred due to a lack of understanding and priority; default in, or lack of leadership; and, sometimes, overt actions by public health leaders and organizations. Consider the following: The Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, The Future of Public

The Organization Wonderland of Environmental Health

O ST of us know something about the history of enviM r ronmental health organizations, but we may find it troublesome to grasp and accept organizational change and, like Alice in Wonderland, determine which way to travel amongst the diversified wonderland of possibilities. Public health officials should lead in making such public policy recommendations rather than leaving a void that others will certainly fill. Historically, environmental health and environmental health personnel were basic components of public health departments. Environmental health problems caused the creation of many health departments. Environmental health personnel were products of health departments and existed primarily, if not solely, in health departments. State and local public health departments had a uniform organizational pattern with a physician health officer at the top, a sanitary engineer in charge of programs usually termed sanitary engineering, and a cadre of sanitarians delivering most of the field services. A similar pattern existed in the U.S. Public Health Service that was then responsible for most federal environmental health activities. Environmental health began diversifying at the federal level at an

Food Contamination from Environmental Sources

Agricultural and Related Contamination in Foods: An Historical Perspective Food Contamination with Camium in the Environment Food Contamination with Arsenic in the Environment Residues of Dithiocarbamate Fungicides in Fruits, Vegetables and Some Field Crops Pesticide Contamination of Food Environmental Contamination of Food by Nitrosamines Derived from Pesticides Pasteurized Diary Products: The Constraints Imposed by Environmental Contamination Food Residues from Pesticides and Environmental Pollutants Environmental Contaminants in Mexican Foods Use of Organochlorine Pesticides for Pest Control in Buildings: The Effect of Occupants Viral Disease Transmission by Seafood.

Organization of Environmental Programs at the State Level

There are no standard “models” to be followed, but there are some basic organizational principles to be considered when organizing environmental agencies at the state or local level. These include (a) organizational visibility, (b) programming on a multiple goal basis, (c) freedom of interagency communication and coordination, (d) operating with a mission of public service and consumer protection, (e) responsiveness to public sentiment, (f) ease of regulatory actions, (g) comprehensive programming, (h) legislation designed for rapid, equitable results instead of procedural delays, (i) line item budgets for the environmental agency, (j) programmed for environmental protection rather than environmental utilization and development, and (k) regulations and standards promulgated by a board or commission representing balanced public interests. The foregoing principles may be attained in a variety of organizational arrangements ranging from an appropriate environmental agency within a health department to a sepa...