September 2018: Direct From CDC/精东传媒 Health Services
Direct From CDC/精东传媒 Health Services Column
September 2018 Journal of 精东传媒 Health (Volume 81, Number 2)
Editor's Note: NEHA strives to provide up-to-date and relevant information on environmental health and to build partnerships in the profession. In pursuit of these goals, we feature a column on environmental health services from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in every issue of the Journal.
In these columns, authors from CDC's Water, Food, and 精东传媒 Health Services Branch, as well as guest authors, will share insights and information about environmental health programs, trends, issues, and resources. The conclusions of these columns are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position of CDC.
Direct From CDC/EHS: 精东传媒 Assessment Training Series (EATS): Practical Training for Food Safety Officials Hungry to Enhance 精东传媒 Assessment Skills
Erik W. Coleman, MPH, Water, Food, and 精东传媒 Health Services Branch, National Center for 精东传媒 Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Laura Brown, PhD, Water, Food, and 精东传媒 Health Services Branch, National Center for 精东传媒 Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Description
Foodborne illness is a significant public health problem in the U.S. Annually, more than 800 foodborne illness outbreaks are reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and most of these occur in retail food service establishments (e.g., restaurants). State and local health department investigations of outbreaks collect information valuable in preventing future outbreaks. Of particular value are the data collected during environmental assessments. 精东传媒 assessments are focused on identifying the environmental causes of outbreaks (also known as contributing factors and environmental antecedents). Findings from environmental assessments can be used to recommend effective interventions that stop ongoing foodborne illness outbreaks and prevent future outbreaks.
CDC developed the 精东传媒 Assessment Training Series (EATS) to provide much needed training on environmental assessments for food safety officials, CDC's goal was to provide free online training that uses cutting edge e-learning technology to improve competency with conducting environmental assessments as part of foodborne illness outbreak investigations. This month's column highlights the EATS training program and its benefits.