The Riverside Country Department of Public Health provides a number of public health services but only a few services I would categorize as environmental health services.
Lead Poisoning Prevention
This service provides community awareness of detrimental health effects of lead and where lead is commonly found. They focus on informing the public of the dangers of exposure to lead, specifically the threat is poses to children. They also focus on educating and assisting families of eliminating the sources of lead in their homes.
The Health Equity Committee
This service is broad and addresses the number of health inequities within Riverside County and the challenges that vulnerable populations face. Within this service, they also address land use, which i've learned to be an environmental health issue that faces minority and vulnerable populations.
Riverside County also has a Department of Environmental Health. Their services focus on foods, hazardous materials, vector control, solid/liquid/medical wastes, clean ups/remediations, water/well use, and land use. They also have "Other Services" that include body art, which I found very interesting. Riverside County's Department of Environmental Health has made changes to adhere to the Safe Body Art Act and has implemented the minimum standards to body art facilities to protect the art practitioner and the clients from transmitting infectious diseases.
I was also surprised to find the body art included in the environmental services of my county. But I’m glad to learn they have standards and regulations for body art services as today more and more young people are using these services. The lead poisoning prevention service is very important, but I wonder if they also offer any safer alternatives to eliminate sources of lead at home and in the community.
ReplyDeleteThe Health Equity Committee is very important when addressing various health issues. Like riverside County, Yolo County also has a committee that focuses on the effects of various environmental factors n the health of vulnerable populations, especially women and children. I believe that is very important to protect women and children from harmful chemicals found in our environment, research has shown to cause adverse effects in these populations.
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