Why Accredited Programs?

Facts on the Environmental Health Workforce Shortage

Environmental public health professionals are best known for their efforts to ensure safe food, water and sanitation, but the increase in health threats such as E-Coli outbreaks, West Nile Virus, SARS and bio/agro-terrorism identifies the ever-increasing need for a well qualified environmental health workforce. Even though public health professionals are regarded as the “first responders” in the event of an emergency, health agencies are unfortunately facing shortages of these critical personnel, and have been concerned for more than a decade.

Environmental public health practitioners are the second most common of the public health professions, roughly 4.5 percent of the nation’s public health workforce with governmental public health agencies employing more than 20,000 in 1999. ( National Center for Health Workforce Information and Analysis, Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration. Public Health Workforce Enumeration 2000. Prepared by Center for Health Policy, Columbia University School of Nursing, December 2000.)

Facts about Environmental Public Health

• About 76 million cases of foodborne illness occur in the U.S. each year with 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths and ailments.
  
  
• The 30-year increase in life expectancy to 76.7 years from 1900 to 1998 has been attributed largely to environmental public health services.
  
  
• Environmental public health services have been the backbone of public health in the U.S. since 1798. (American Public Health Association)
  
  
• Environmental hazards are responsible for about a quarter of the total burden of disease worldwide, and nearly 35% in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa. As many as 13 million deaths can be prevented every year by making our environments healthier. (World Health Organization)