Service NL
Health and Community Services
September 21, 2015

Ensuring the Well-Being of Families and Communities

Ministers Proclaim Environmental Public Health Week

The Provincial Government is recognizing the work of public sector workers in the environmental public health field by proclaiming September 21-25 as Environmental Public Health Week in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Honourable Dan Crummell, Minister of Service NL, and the Honourable Steve Kent, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and Community Services, made the proclamation earlier today. This year's theme, Moving Forward, Looking Back; Building on 100 years of success, recognizes the public health system's past successes, while continuing to focus on emerging challenges to public health and illness prevention in the future.

"Environmental public health professionals play an important role in ensuring the health and well-being of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. Environmental health officers who work with Service NL play a key role in protecting the health of families and communities through a variety of inspections and environmental health promotion activities."
- The Honourable Dan Crummell, Minister of Service NL

Environmental public health professionals protect the health of the population by ensuring safe and healthy environments where residents live, work and play. They have a wide range of responsibilities including food safety inspections, monitoring the bacteriological quality of drinking water and carrying out health-related inspections of day cares, schools, personal care homes and long-term care facilities, as well as recreational facilities.

"The work of environmental public health professionals is a key component of our public health system. Their disease and injury prevention efforts benefit the people of the province by protecting them from hazards that may otherwise cause illness and injury. I commend the important work they do to ensure good environmental public health in Newfoundland and Labrador."
- The Honourable Steve Kent, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health and Community Services

Environmental public health professionals also oversee investigations into food and waterborne diseases, inspect and approve private sewage disposal systems and participate in community emergency preparedness and response.

"The public enjoys a high standard of health and safety thanks to the work of environmental health officers and environmental public health professionals. We play a key role in maintaining that standard, and have made great strides in protecting and advancing public health. Professionals in our dynamic field grow through experience and education so that we can continue to be relied on as an essential force in keeping the public safe throughout all of the broad determinants of health."
- Laurie Hearn, Newfoundland and Labrador Branch President, Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors

Environmental Public Health Week is a national campaign by the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors (CIPHI), the only professional association for public health inspectors and other environmental public health professionals in Canada. They are certified by the Board of Certification for CIPHI, a process that guarantees only individuals demonstrating the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for successful performance are accepted into the profession.

QUICK FACTS

• September 21-25 has been proclaimed as Environmental Public Health Week in Newfoundland and Labrador for 2015.
• Environmental Public Health Week recognizes the work environmental public health professionals carry out every day in their communities to protect public health.
• Service NL carries out environmental public health services under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Health and Community Services and the regional health authorities.

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2015 09 21                              12:05 p.m.