2022 Annual Report
“You are what your record says you are.” The reflection of head coach Bill Parcells on the performance of his football team is instructive for those of us in the NEHA orbit. And what a year it was. Your association shrugged off the comfortable and familiar dogma of the past to embark on the next phase of its journey. Our navigational compass was tethered to the bootstraps of the emerging generation of practitioners, a workforce increasingly comprised and led by women. Our new association logo conveys a fresh, clean image, one that reflects the maternal instinct of protection and offers shelter to a workforce under stress. The logo is escorted by thoughtfully crafted updates to our mission, vision, and values statements. Considered in aggregate, these embody the nurturing character of our association as we deliver continuing education and opportunities to connect with others within the profession—two things you told us you value in this year’s membership needs assessment. In honor of Coach Parcells’ sentiments, we delivered value to the profession by investing in you: For every $1 we received in dues we returned $19 in the form of investments in capacity building—leadership, training, and education. By the way, those are real dollars, not wishful thinking or outlandish estimates. We stand by our record. The year ahead will challenge each of us in unique and possibly unanticipated ways. At the national level we will endeavor to tell the story of environmental health in a manner that resonates with influencers. This effort seeks to address the recalcitrant wound that haunts me whenever I’m with our members—“No one sees or appreciates the valuable work I do.” We also plan to provide you tools and resources to tell your story locally because our profession is anchored in local support. As we tell our story we will share affirming data. In illustration, we will release findings from the highly successful retail food training needs assessment. We will advocate for you in our Nation’s Capital because you took the time to tell us your needs. That’s us working with you for you. That’s a record we stand by. “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” The quote from Dr. Seuss describes our members, the environmental health professionals who are the unsung heroes, caring an awful lot by protecting the public every day ensuring clean air, food, and water along with a safe and healthy place to live, work, and play. It has been my honor and privilege to represent my fellow environmental health professionals this past year. In the words of Abraham Lincoln, we are working for “those means which will give the greatest good to the greatest number.” We are proud to have supported this good work through our collaborations with CDC and FDA to provide investments directly to state, local, tribal, and territorial environmental health programs, along with providing upto-date science and opportunities for the environmental health workforce. We further expanded our educational offerings, including written materials, online and in-person trainings, courses and certificates, e-learning, scholarships, internships, and the Annual Educational Conference (AEC) & Exhibition. This year, our staff and board also took a lesson from another leader, Thomas Jefferson, when he said, “To learn, you have to listen. To improve, you have to try.” We listened closely including through our member survey, learning more about what our members need most. We improved by launching our new mission and vision, our new logo and brand, and our new website and online Community. In the coming year, we will continue to focus on providing resources and education to empower our members and support our affiliates to spread the word about the wonderful world of environmental health. We will lead an advertising campaign to help communities and lawmakers understand the importance of the workforce while continuing to advocate and support legislation that improves environmental public health. Together, we will raise the profile of the environmental health profession for the greatest good! As Buzz Lightyear says, “To infinity and beyond!” Letter From the Director Letter From the President
Inspiring & Providing Professional Development Uncovering Research & Creating Resources Supporting the Profession Across the Globe & Life Span Elevating the Organization, Profession, & Workforce Connecting & Partnering for Better Outcomes Minding the Dollars & Data 01 03 05 09 11 13 Table of Contents Much like topography lays the underlying foundation of a landscape, our work in 2022 continued to build and sustain the underlying foundation of the environmental health workforce.
Inspiring & Providing Professional Development One of the key ways we work to build and sustain the workforce is through education. By providing up-to-date training and educational opportunities, environmental health professionals have what they need to protect communities and improve health outcomes. We provided environmental health education, training, and discussion at the 2022 AEC, the virtual Retail Program Standards Symposium, and the virtual InFORM Conference. 755 local, state, tribal, governmental, and other industries attended the Retail Program Standards Symposium 1,333 people registered for the virtual 2022 Integrated Foodborne Outbreak Response and Management (InFORM) Conference 84% of respondents to our member survey (n = 847) said they joined for access to training and professional development 30% of attendees attended the AEC for the first time in 2022 In 2023 we will continue to build educational opportunities with a new REHS/ RS online study course, a revised CCFS suite of training materials, body art inspection materials, additional FDA courses, additional instructors, flexible education formats, and content for emerging issues. We developed a Retail Program Standards SelfAssessment and Verification Audit (SA/VA) online workshop, revised the suite of CP-FS study materials, taught CP-FS and REHS/RS study courses, and developed and delivered training for body art facility inspectors. 420 environmental health professionals took one of our 15 FDA Retail Food Safety courses 1 virtual reality simulation was created for the FDA Plan Review course 3,898 students accessed courses in the last 12 months 74 people took our training for the CP-FS (58) and REHS/RS (15) credential exams 1,400 people attended the 2022 NEHA AEC educational sessions, preconference workshops, and meetings 1 2
In 2023 we will begin to make changes to the content and access of our Journal of Environmental Health to further meet the needs of the profession, as well as streamlining the manuscript submission process. We will also continue work to build our resource library, hone our opportunities and updates, and grow our social media audience. Uncovering Research & Creating Resources While environmental health has been practiced for centuries, changes to our society and physical environment require our profession to stay up-to-the-minute on the evolving practice. Our publications, discussions, and announcements help members meet this challenge. We published 10 issues of the Journal of Environmental Health covering air quality, body art, children’s environmental health, epidemiology, education, food safety, hazardous materials, land reuse, management and policy, preparedness and response, risk assessment, and water quality. We also launched a panel focused on enhancing the Journal content. We hosted discussions, presented hot topics, developed new resources, and provided ongoing updates and announcements to our members. 1 body art facility inspection needs assessment article published 1.4M impressions on our social media platforms 3 Environmental health and land reuse peer-reviewed manuscripts published 7 body art job aids developed in partnership with industry and public health 32 peer-reviewed articles published in our Journal of Environmental Health 73% of respondents to our member survey said they would like updates to environmental health practice 20,000 professionals reached through the of the Journal of Environmental Health 960 environmental health practice resources available on our website 22 issues of EH In Focus (formerly E-News) newsletter sent with updates and opportunities 2.3K opportunities and announcements posted on our social media platforms 30+ conference presentations 3 4
Supporting the Profession Across the Globe & Life Span 77 new jurisdictions applied for NEHAFDA Retail Flexible Funding Model Grants in the second year of funding 2,443 professionals completed our retail food regulatory training needs assessment $627K invested in 154 jurisdictions, organizations, and/or students to support environmental health workforce capacity building opportunities 338 local programs received NEHA-FDA Retail Flexible Funding Model Grant awards Two keys vital to the success of our profession are adequate support for our work and trust in our abilities and knowledge. Our investments in local communities through direct funding, training, assessment, or consultation and our credentialing program help to support those working on the environmental public health front line. We invested in the environmental health workforce internationally and at local, state, tribal, and territorial levels by providing funding for capacity building, equipment, and staff, as well as assessing training needs and partnering to encourage data driven decision-making. $6.8M in NEHA-FDA Retail Flexible Funding Model Grants awarded across 45 states 1 partnership with the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Environmental Health workforce on food safety inspection data There is nothing like this in our field currently. The experiences, the material, and the people that I have met are invaluable and will be a game changer throughout my career. “ ” 5 6
In 2023 we will continue to address environmental justice and health disparities through our work with American Indians/ Alaska Natives on topics including climate change, lead, preparedness, environmental health resources, building community, and providing training. We will also focus on expanding our scholarship and credentialing programs. We strengthened the workforce by credentialing professionals, providing year-long leadership training, internship and mentorship experiences, offering needbased student scholarships, and making investments to address environmental justice and health disparities. 648 professionals credentialed for the REHS/RS (359), CP-FS (286), CCFS (3), and CFOI (2) 17 environmental health professionals completed the expanded Environmental Health Leadership Academy 3 tribal health programs recognized with our American Indian/Alaska Native Environmental Health Recognition Award 3 in-person trainings provided to the environmental health workforce in Guam 1,263 credential and state applications scored $7.5K in scholarships given to current environmental health students I was able to get experience that I may not have been able to receive if it weren’t for this internship. I was exposed to many topics and areas that I didn’t know I was interested in. “ ” I cannot project how valuable this funding will be for others, but here in Yolo County in California with my small staff there will be a large impact. “ ” 51 environmental health students participated in internships through our National Environmental Public Health Internship Program 7 8
In 2023 we will continue to communicate with and visit decision makers in support of the workforce. We will also launch a nationwide advertising campaign about the environmental health professional, develop and roll out self-promotion materials for use in local communities, and bring together leaders to discuss core issues impacting the profession and workforce. 227 changes to the Body Art Model Code requested by the community 1,200+ webpages rewritten $250K budget for national advertising campaign promoting environmental health professionals 14 policy statements given to legislators and state agencies 3.2 out of 4 is the value members rated the importance of advocating for the profession 1 updated body art policy statement 46 years since we last changed our logo 8 Congressional bills supported Elevating the Organization, Profession, & Workforce Environmental health is often invisible—to the public, lawmakers, and even funders. We are working to raise the visibility of NEHA and elevate the workforce through communication, marketing, and government affairs. With a more visible presence we can have more influence that benefits our profession and the communities we serve. We began to raise our profile by creating a new logo and brand, improved access to education and resources by redesigning our website, and developed a marketing campaign promoting environmental health professionals to launch in 2023. We continued to strengthen our voice and influence in Washington, DC, with visits and letters to Congress, as well as tracking environmental health legislation across the country and supporting the workforce with policy and positions statements, presentations, and blogs. 38 Congressional offices met with us during our 2022 Hill Day 67% of respondents to our member survey noted they would like updates on national and state policy that impacts environmental health 10 9
In 2023 our goal is to grow partnerships, program committees, and NEHA membership; strengthen our partnership with affiliates; and host an active and useful online Community for the benefit of our members. 3 new relationships built with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Indian Health Board, and Indian Health Services as part of the NEHA-FDA Retail Flexible Funding Model Grants 35 environmental health programs hosted interns as part of the National Environmental Public Health Internship Program 2 demonstration sites using Health in All Policy framework (Washington Department of Health, climate change; Boulder County Department of Health, Colorado, healthy housing) 48 national public and environmental health organizations and academic organizations partnered with us on grants, cooperative agreements, and projects Connecting & Partnering for Better Outcomes Our work can be tough and our resources light. We bring together a brain trust of environmental health professionals with different perspectives, experiences, and skills to address systemic, ongoing, and emerging issues and provide a place for support and sharing tricks of the trade. We created dedicated spaces and assembled experts to address pressing issues and develop resources in online communities (NEARS, Private Water Network, Climate & Health, NEPHIP), program committees (body art, climate, food safety, informatics, vector), and communities of practice. We have prioritized the needs of our members uncovered in our member survey, including the desire to network, by launching our online Community networking platform and partnering with our state affiliates. We partnered with health departments, federal agencies, national associations, and academic institutions to expand the opportunities for professionals to connect, share expertise, and demonstrate best practices. 54 state, territorial, local, and tribal health departments partnered with us on programs 1,738 members are active on Community, our online environmental health networking platform 923 respondents to our member survey 321 resources developed in our online communities 201 members of the Private Water Network (included in 422 total) 42% of respondents to our member survey said they became a member for networking opportunities 422 members combined in our online communities (316) and program committees (106) 46 NEHA affiliates partner with us to share information and opportunities to reach more of the environmental health workforce 11 12
In 2023 we will continue to grow membership and develop new sponsorship opportunities to meet the diverse needs of our partners. We will also expand our portfolio of educational and programmatic offerings to strengthen the workforce and the communities they serve. Minding the Dollars & Data Of course, none of our work is possible without the funding to staff the organization, invest in communities, or generate the data to demonstrate our effectiveness. We are focused on meaningful financial tracking and data and IT integration to enhance our ability to make data-driven decisions and provide meaningful data to the workforce. We maintained our organization’s financial health by continuing to receive funding from federal grants and agreements, fundraising, our AEC, corporate sponsorships, Journal subscriptions, and advertising revenue. We began to focus on data integration by developing our Data Modernization Initiative, including a data lake, data analysis, and project management to create data dashboards to visualize our accomplishments and return on investment. $97K earned in sponsorships for the 2022 AEC 13 data sets and data sources we plan to integrate into our association management system by 2024 74% of our revenue came from grants and contracts $26K raised from 426 donations, including a new fundraising event at the AEC that yielded more than $5K in donations 78% of our expenses are spent on program services 6% of revenue comes from membership dues 150 former members renewed their membership after our 1-month trial membership 6 data sources we have integrated into our finance and project management system Grants & Contracts Credentialing & Continuing Education Membership Dues Annual Educational Conference Other Journal of Environmental Health Online Course & Book Sales Program Services Management & General Fundraising NEHA FY2022 Expenses $13,536,405 NEHA FY2022 Revenue $14,573,843 13 14
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