2021 Annual Report
“We tirelessly seek to connect and unify the profession, delivering value that far exceeds the cost of membership. We acknowledge how grueling last year was for many of us and thank you for your sustained professionalism as you protect and promote the health, safety, and financial security of your communities.“
-Dr. David Dyjack, NEHA Executive Director
In 2021, We Educated
Hosted
- First ever virtual NEHA Annual Educational Conference in which 1,100 environmental health professionals attended 111 sessions across 10 different environmental health tracks from 221 presenters representing federal, state, local, private, nongovernmental organization, and academia sectors across the U.S. and beyond
- More than 40 webinars reaching more than 2,500 individuals
- 6 Twitter chats yielding nearly 1 million impressions
Created
5 Courses
- Body art for virtual live delivery
- Public accommodations for virtual live delivery
- Cosmetology for virtual live delivery
- Spanish asynchronous online Food Safety Issues in Event of Disasters course
- Spanish live virtually recorded Temporary Food Establishments course
Updated
REHS/RS exam and REHS/RS Study Guide
Provided
1,085 study materials
Delivered
26 courses, training 616 environmental health professionals
Developed
New Instructor Evaluation Rubric
Expanded
National Environmental Public Health Internship Program
Presented
10 presentations at national conferences
“Without the funding we would not have been able to carve out the time needed to explore NEARS and how it can help us in conducting foodborne illness outbreak investigations. This opportunity was able to help our team prepare for an outbreak as well as help us to see where we need to strengthen our policies and procedures.”
-Union County Health Department
We Informed
issues of the Journal of Environmental Health published, including 32 peer-reviewed articles and 48 columns from 14 contributors, reaching an average of 6,630 environmental health professionals with each issue. Top topics covered included food safety, air quality, hazardous materials, COVID-19, preparedness, vector control, water quality, and workforce development. Three new columns were introduced in 2021.
issues of the NEHA E-News sent to members reaching about 5,300 environmental health professionals with each issue and sharing more than 670 relevant updates and services. The average open rate was 34% and the average click rate was 21%; both rates are far above the industry average.
commentary article on brownfields published in cooperation with the Brownfields and Land Reuse Working Network
messages posted on social media sharing information and opportunities reaching more than 20,000 environmental health professionals
emails sent to members sharing information and opportunities, reaching an average of 6,000 environmental health professionals
peer-reviewed articles published that discuss brownfield treatments
We Supported
Encouraged more than
3,000
individuals to join or rejoin NEHA, growing membership by almost 5%
Designed and built a user-friendly application to award
$6.3 million
in funding to state, local, tribal, and territorial jurisdictions for the NEHA-FDA Retail Flexible Funding Model Grant Program in less than four months
Developed
275
resources to support water quality as part of the Private Water Network
Provided
$4,200
needs-based scholarships as part of the NEHA Leadership Program; awards ranged from $200—$800
Encouraged more than
30%
of members to start supporting a NEHA fund
Developed
14
resources to support food safety assessment for the National Environmental Assessment Reporting System (NEARS)
Received more than
400
applications for the NEHA-FDA Retail Flexible Funding Model Grant Program due to a robust marketing and outreach effort
Approved
41,151
online continuing education submissions
Credentialed
572
individuals
Developed more than
60
resources in multiple languages to enhance environmental health capabilities in response to COVID-19
Provided
$448,500
of pass-through funding to 74 environmental health programs in local jurisdiction to strengthen the workforce
Enabled
14
undergraduate and
7
graduate students to complete internships, finishing 21 environmental health projects at 21 host health departments
“I would highly recommend this internship (NEPHIP) to all environmental health students because it gives a really good experience of working in an environmental health division at a public health department. It was because of NEPHIP that I was able to gain my pool inspector certification and I plan on working at a health department after graduating.”
-Former NEPHIP Intern
We Elevated
Workforce Needs
- Published the COVID 19 Workforce Needs Assessment Report II and presented it across federal agencies, at local, regional, and national conferences, and to international audiences
- Developed a policy statement on the role of environmental health in preparedness
Body Art Policy
- Requested and received funding to develop a body art training course for regulators
- Researched body art best practices and developed a policy statement on body art and Body Art Model Code Annex
Environmental Health Credentialing
- Launched the credential requirements project funded by the NEHA Endowment
Vector Control
- Researched mosquito and vector control best practices and developed policy statements on vector control and mosquito control
Water Quality
- Researched well water quality testing regulation best practices and developed a policy statement on well water quality testing regulation
Food Safety Best Practices
- Applied and received funding to design and build an investment program to support state, local, tribal, and territorial retail food regulatory programs to advance conformance with the FDA Retail Food Standards
- Researched best practices in food safety, food safety systems, and food safety inspection disclosure and developed policy statements on food safety, uniform and integrated food safety system adoption, and point of service food inspection disclosure
Diversity and Inclusion
- Honored the first Dr. Bailus Walker, Jr. Diversity and Inclusion Awareness Award winner
- Launched a diversity and inclusion blog series to highlight the diversity work of NEHA members
- Launched the NEHA Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) committee, drafted a JEDI statement to be adopted by the organization
We Advocated
Letters
Submitted a letter to the White House and Congress regarding the inclusion of the environmental health workforce within the American Rescue Plan to hire and train public health workers in response to COVID-19
Resolutions
Introduced Congressional Resolution 62 thanking the public health workforce and highlighting the contributions of the environmental health workforce
Hill Day
Visited 44 congressional offices with the NEHA Board of Directors and members on NEHA Hill Day
We Connected
Established a Concurrent Disasters Community of Practice with 16 members
Partnered with state, local, tribal, and territorial health departments on 37 programs
Established an Environmental Health Strike Team Standard Community of Practice with 6 members
Facilitated connection of environmental health professionals to their peers in specialty areas:
- National Environmental Assessment Reporting System: 126 members
- Private Water Network: 179 members
- Climate and Health Community: 13 members
- National Environmental Public Health Internship Program Network: 36 members
We Stewarded
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Functional Expenses
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Words From Our Executive Director
Dr. David Dyjack, DrPH, CIH
In fiscal year 2021, your NEHA staff aligned our efforts with the principles of influence described by Dr. Robert Cialdini, widely recognized as the world’s most authoritative researcher on the subject. Within the pages of this report, you will find evidence of our efforts to hone our reputation as trusted spokespersons. We leveraged the principle of reciprocity through collaboration and partnership with associations across the public health landscape. Our policy statements, social media presence, and keynote addresses reflect increasing muscle as we burnish our reputation as subject matter authorities. We tirelessly seek to connect and unify the profession, delivering value that far exceeds the cost of membership. We acknowledge how grueling last year was for many of us and thank you for your sustained professionalism as you protect and promote the health, safety, and financial security of your communities.
Words From Our Board President
Roy Kroeger, REHS
As members and stakeholders of this association, you know that the past year has been a challenge. Your professional association has stayed focused and on point through all of those challenges. As you review this report, you will see that NEHA has worked hard for our members and professionals alike. Collaborating with agencies like FDA and CDC, NEHA has provided you with the tools you need to protect the public’s health. NEHA provided virtual education through the 2021 Annual Educational Conference and dozens of virtual classes while maintaining a safe and secure environment. At the same time, we were working to build and strengthen the networks among our members—a network of trusted associates that you can reach out to when needed. Marketing of the profession has been another significant focus during the year as we all feel underappreciated for the work we do in our communities. NEHA worked tirelessly to develop new ways to elevate the profession by working closely with lawmakers and policy professionals throughout the country. Advocacy has been another endeavor of the association. NEHA is working closely with our affiliates to support legislation that will improve the public’s health while educating lawmakers about proposed legislation that will make that effort more difficult.
Thank you for being an important part of the NEHA community.
We are here to stand with you, invest in you, and advocate for you.