Local Health Departments’ Participation in Environmental Policymaking
Abstract
Using data from the 2019 National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) Profiles of 1,496 local health departments (LHDs), this study examined two primary questions: (1) the extent to which LHDs engage in policy and advocacy concerning waste, wastewater, sanitation, and land use planning; and (2) the characteristics of the LHDs who are engaged in such advocacy and policymaking. Only one in five LHDs perform land use planning, but most (86.2%) provide some type of environmental services. LHDs serving jurisdictions more than 500,000 people and those employing environmental health workers were more likely to have conducted policy or advocacy work in the areas of land use planning and water, waste, and sanitation.
Keywords
local health departments, environment, planning
Local Health Departments’ Participation in Environmental Policymaking
Using data from the 2019 National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) Profiles of 1,496 local health departments (LHDs), this study examined two primary questions: (1) the extent to which LHDs engage in policy and advocacy concerning waste, wastewater, sanitation, and land use planning; and (2) the characteristics of the LHDs who are engaged in such advocacy and policymaking. Only one in five LHDs perform land use planning, but most (86.2%) provide some type of environmental services. LHDs serving jurisdictions more than 500,000 people and those employing environmental health workers were more likely to have conducted policy or advocacy work in the areas of land use planning and water, waste, and sanitation.
