UNCOVER EH Survey

Attachment 5a_REVISED Oct 2017. UNCOVER EH Survey (track changes)

Form Approved

OMB No. 0920-1187

Exp. Date 06/30/2018

Welcome

You are invited to participate in this survey designed for environmental health (EH) professionals working at public health departments. The primary goal of this survey is to identify and describe EH professional characteristics, areas of practice, and identify workforce and practice needs.

The survey should take about 30 minutes to complete. Your participation is voluntary and you may decide to quit the survey at any time. If you do not currently work at a public health department or do not want to participate in this survey, please click the appropriate exit button on the next page to opt out. You will not be emailed again. All information collected in this survey will be aggregated for analysis. This means that it is impossible to identify any individual or organization, or to link you and your responses. No personal information gathered in this survey will be shared with any other organization. By submitting the survey, you agree to participate in this this study and agree to the use of your responses as outlined above.

We truly appreciate the time and effort you take to participate in this study.

Questions about the survey? Please email Justin Gerding at CDC (iud0@cdc.gov) for clarifications.

CDC estimates the average public reporting burden for this collection of information as 30 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data/information sources, gathering and maintaining the data/information needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to CDC/ATSDR Information Collection Review Office, 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS D-74, Atlanta, Georgia 30333; ATTN: PRA (0920-1187).

Priority Program for Protecting Public Health

Do you currently work at a state, tribal, local, or territorial health department?

• No

• Yes

Q1. In your opinion, which of these programs are the most important for protecting public health?

Select the top 3 programs.

• Drinking Water Protection

• Emergency Response

• Food Safety & Protection

• Hazardous Materials Response

• Healthy Housing

• Outdoor Air Quality

• Recreational Water Quality

• Vector Control

• Wastewater Management

Q2. Do you have any additional comments regarding public health priorities? If so, please enter them below.

Workforce and Profession Priorities

In this part of this survey, we ask your opinions on which workforce and professional attributes you

believe are most important. The following section contains a set of eight comparisons, each comprised of subsets from a list of eleven possible priorities.

Q3. Considering only the three items below for now, which do you consider of greater and lesser relative importance? (Relatively least important-Relatively most important)

Workforce

Recruiting qualified applicants

Retaining trained and skilled staff

Data

Implementing information technology systems

Increasing data accessibility and sharing

Analyzing data and using results

Support

Establishing technical workforce competencies

Determining evidence-based practices

Marketing to increase public awareness of the profession

Developing a standard definition of the profession

Increasing funding for non-fee generating services

Determining economic value or return on investment of services

Q4. Would you like to see a list of your individualized rankings?

• No

• Yes

Q5. How accurate do you feel the ranking results reflect your true priorities?

• Excellent - the list closely reflected my true priorities

• Good - the list reflected most of my priorities with only some minor discrepancies

• Adequate - the list reflected some of my priorities but there were also obvious discrepancies

• Poor - the list did not at all reflect my true priorities

Information about You

Q6. What is your age?

• 25 years or below

• 26-35 years

• 36-45 years

• 46-55 years

• 56-65 years

• 65 or above

Q7. What sex were you assigned at birth, on your original birth certificate?

• Female

• Male

Q8. Do you consider yourself to be Hispanic or Latino?

• Hispanic or Latino

• Not Hispanic or Latino

Q9. What race or races do you consider yourself to be? Please select 1 or more of these categories.

• American Indian or Alaskan Native

• Asian

• Black or African American

• Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander

• White

Q10. What is your current annual salary?

• Less than $25,000

• $25,000 - $34,999

• $35,000 - $44,999

• $45,000 - $54,999

• $55,000 - $64,999

• $65,000 - $74,999

• $75,000 - $84,999

• $85,000 - $94,999

• $95,000 - $104,999

• $105,000 - $114,999

• $115,000 - $124,999

• $125,000 - $134,999

• $135,000 - $144,999

• $145,000 or more

• Prefer not to say

Q11. Indicate which degree(s) that you have attained (check all that apply)

Select all that apply

• Associate Degree

• Bachelor’s Degree

• Master’s Degree

• Doctoral Degree

• None (If selected, skip to Q14)

Q12. What was your field of study or concentration? (This will be asked for each degree selected)

Select all that apply

• Agriculture and natural resources

• Architecture and related services

• Area, ethnic, cultural, gender, and group studies

• Biological and biomedical sciences

• Business

• Communication, journalism, and related programs

• Communications technologies

• Computer and information sciences

• Education

• Engineering

• Environmental Health* (If selected, go to Q13)

• Environmental Science

• Engineering technologies

• English language and literature/letters

• Family and consumer sciences/human sciences

• Foreign languages, literatures, and linguistics

• Health professions and related programs

• Homeland security, law enforcement, and firefighting

• Legal professions and studies

• Liberal arts and sciences, general studies, and humanities

• Library science

• Mathematics and statistics

• Military technologies and applied sciences

• Multi/interdisciplinary studies

• Parks, recreation, leisure, and fitness studies

• Philosophy and religious studies

• Physical sciences and science technologies

• Precision production

• Psychology

• Public administration and social services

• Public health* (If selected, go to Q13)

• Social sciences and history

• Theology and religious vocations

• Transportation and materials moving

• Visual and performing arts

• Other________

Q13. Was your program accredited by the following accreditation bodies?

• National Environmental Health Science & Protection Accreditation Council (EHAC)

• Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)

• Both

• Neither

• Don’t know

Q14. Which of the following professional registrations and credentials do you hold?

Select all that apply

• Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES)

• Registered Environmental Health Specialist / Registered Sanitarian (REHS/RS) (Go to Q15)

• Certified Professional - Food Safety (CP-FS)

• Professional Engineer (PE)

• Certified Safety Professional (CSP)

• Certified Installers of Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (CIOWTS)

• Certified Health Physicist (CHP)

• Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH)

• Certified in Public Health (CPH)

• Certified in Comprehensive Food Safety (CCFS)

• Healthy Homes Specialist (HHS)

• Certified Environmental Professional (CEP)

• Certified Professional Geologist (PG)

• Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM)

• Other ________

• None

Q15. If you are a Registered Environmental Health Specialist or Registered Sanitarian (REHS/RS), is your professional credential supplied by the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) or a State? Select all that apply.

• NEHA

• State

• Other

• Not registered

Q16. Indicate the associations and professional organizations which you maintain membership (Select all that apply; Enter names of up to four other associations or organizations if needed)

• American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA)

• American Public Health Association (APHA)

• American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE)

• National Environmental Health Association (NEHA)

• National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)

• Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO)

• Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO)

• Other________

• Other________

• Other________

• Other________

Q17. How many years have you been in your current position?

Q18. How many years have you been with your current department?

Q19. How many years have you been in environmental health practice?

Q20. Prior to your current position, did you work at a different level of government (federal, state, tribal, local, and/or territorial)?

• No

• Yes

Q21. Do you plan to retire within the next five years?

• No

• Yes

Q22. Do you plan to leave your department within the next year?

• No

• Yes, to retire

• Yes, for another governmental job in environmental health

• Yes, for another governmental job not in environmental health

• Yes, for a non-governmental job in environmental health

• Yes, for a non-governmental job not in environmental health

• Yes, for another job (please specify)_______

• I don’t know

Q23. Which of the following best describes your current position?

• Program Director/Chief

• Supervisor/Manager

• Field Staff/Non-supervisory

• Other (please specify)_______

Q24. Which of the following best describes the title of your current position?

• Environmental Health Specialist

• Sanitarian

• Environmentalist

• Environmental Health Technician

• Inspector

• Laboratory technician or analyst

• Environmental Scientist

• Other___________

Q25. Indicate your employment status?

• Full-time

• Part-time

• Seasonal

• Temporary

• Prefer not to say

• Other________

Department Information

Q26. Who is your employer?

• Federal Government

• State Government

• Tribal Government

• Local Government

• Territorial Government

• Other (i.e., contract agency) ________

Q27. At which level does your department provide services?

• State

• Tribal

• Local

• Territorial

Q28. What is the population size of the jurisdiction where your department provides services?

• Less than 10,000

• 10,000 – 49,999

• 50,000 – 99,999

• 100,000 – 499,999

• 500,000 – 999,999

• More than 1,000,000

Q29. In what state or territory is your department located?

Q30. What is the zip code where your department is located?

Q31. Do you think your organization has a comprehensive environmental health department (i.e., department consists of multiple programs such as food safety, drinking water protection, vector control, etc.)?

• No

• Yes

Programs and Services

Q32. What is the name of your organization’s comprehensive environmental health department?

• Environmental Health Services

• Environmental Public Health

• Environmental Protection

• Other (please specify)________

Q33. Do you work in any programs that do not have an environmental health focus (i.e., public health nursing or immunization programs)?

• No

• Yes

Q34. In the past year, approximately what percentage of your time did you spend on environmental health programming and services relative to your other activities?

___Percent of time spent on other activities outside environmental health

___Percent of time spent on environmental health programs and services

Q35. Which of the following environmental health program areas do you work in or provide services?

• Animal Control

• Body Art (Tattoo)

• Campgrounds & RVs

• Children’s Camps

• Collection of Unused Pharmaceuticals

• Cosmetology Businesses

• Day Care/Early Child Development Facilities

• Emergency Preparedness and Response

• Food Safety and Protection

• Hazardous Waste Disposal

• Hazmat Response

• Health Related Facilities

• Healthy Homes

• Hotels/Motels

• Indoor Air Quality

• Injury Prevention

• Land Use Planning

• Lead Prevention

• Milk Processing

• Mobile Homes

• Noise Pollution

• Occupational Health

• Outdoor Air Quality

• Poison Control

• Pollution Prevention

• Private or Onsite Drinking Water

• Public Drinking Water Systems

• Public Swimming Pools

• Radiation Control

• Radon Control

• Other Recreational Water (e.g., beaches)

• Schools

• Onsite Wastewater (e.g., Septic Systems)

• Smoke-Free Ordinances

• Solid Waste

• Special Events/Mass Gatherings

• Tobacco Retailers

• Toxicology

• Vector Control

• Other________

• Other________

• Other________

Q36. Of the time you spend specifically working in environmental health, approximately what percentage of your time is spent on these programs annually? (This question will appear for each EH program selected)

Q37. Of the program areas you work in, which do you think are of the highest relative importance? Please select three programs or services that you view as most important.

(List the EH programs selected)

Q38. One of your top three programs or services was: [program]. In your opinion, what is the single most important reason why it is important? (Ask this question for each of the most important EH programs selected, also ask this for responses when 3 or fewer programs are selected)

Select one

• Addresses community needs

• Decreases disease rates

• Fulfills a mandated requirement

• Generates fees/revenue

• Improves quality of life

• Increases community satisfaction

• Protects public health

• Other (please specify)

Q39. One of your top three programs or services was: [program]. What is the best measure of impact for this program? (Ask this question for each of the most important EH programs selected, also ask this for responses when 3 or fewer programs are selected)

Select one

• Community health status

• Revenue generated

• Hospital admission rates

• Community satisfaction

• Inspection violations

• Inspection scores

• Number of inspections conducted or services provided

• Support from leadership (i.e., board of health or health commissioner)

• There is no measurement of impact for this program

• Other___________

Q40. One of your top three programs or services was: [program]. What are your primary activities in this program? Select all that apply (This question will appear for each EH program selected)

Select all that apply

• Conduct research or in-depth studies

• Develop and establish policies

• Disease or hazard surveillance

• Educate the public

• Engage in partnerships with the community, stakeholders, or other agencies

• Investigate disease outbreaks or respond to emergencies

• Issue permits or licenses

• Maintain databases or electronic information systems for environmental health data

• Monitor community health status and environmental conditions

• Partner with colleges or universities to sponsor student internships

• Partner with colleges or universities for research services

• Perform inspections

• Provide training (e.g., food handler’s courses)

• Respond to complaints

• Other_________

Training

Q42. Have you completed any training courses in the last year?

• No

• Yes

Q43. What were the topics of training you completed in the last year?

Open-text Field

Q44. How was the training delivered?

Select all that apply

• In-person/Classroom

• Conference attendance

• College Course

• Online/Web-based Course

• Recorded Webinars

• Live Webinars

• Other________

Q45. Does your agency support travel to attend training?

• No

• Yes

Q46. Provide any comments regarding your training needs

Open-text field

Leadership and Core Competencies

Q47. How often do you engage in the following activities? (Routinely—Sometimes—Never)

• Decision-making that influences program planning

• Problem solving and critical thinking

• Collecting and analyzing data

• Communicating risk to the public

• Evaluating the effectiveness of services and activities

• Collaborating with other governmental agencies and staff

• Participating in community-based initiatives or events

Satisfaction

Q48. What is your level of satisfaction with the following items? (Strongly agree-agree-neutral-disagree-strongly disagree)

• I have opportunities for career progression

• I have opportunities to apply my talents and expertise

• I have opportunities to demonstrate my leadership skills

• I have opportunities to contribute to program planning

Q49. Do you feel like you have adequate support for your job? Select all that apply.

• I have the support of my immediate supervisor

• I do not have the support of my immediate supervisor

• I have the support of my administrator (e.g., of the public health department)

• I do not have the support of my administrator (e.g., of the public health department)

• I have the support of my governing body (e.g., City Council, County Commissioners)

• I do not have the support of my governing body (e.g., City Council, County Commissioners)

Current and Future Needs

Q50. What new programs would you immediately initiate to address current needs?

Open-text field

Q51. What modifications would you immediately make to existing programs to address current needs?

Open-text field

Q52. Are there any eliminated programs you would immediately reinitiate?

Open-text field

Q53. Within the next 5-10 years, what environmental health issues or challenges will require new or modified programs?

Open-text field

Q54. What resources or tools will you need to do your job in the future? (Think broadly when responding to this question. Responses may reflect environmental health technical needs or other areas such as program management, leadership, etc)

Open-text field

Q55. Are you a graduate of the CDC's Environmental Public Health Leadership Institute (EPHLI)?

• No

• Yes

Q56. Do you think leadership training is important for environmental health professionals?

• No

• Yes

Conclusion

Q57. Would you like to receive an email when a summary of our survey results is available?

• No

• Yes

Q58. If you have any other comments about the environmental health practice and workforce, please enter them below.