How NEHA can help you in a down economy--a specific example. (Managing Editor's Desk).

These are difficult times. From every part of the country, we hear discouraging tales of cutbacks, layoffs, tight budgets, and the disappearance of funding for continuing education. Along with many others, environmental health professionals are facing tough times during this difficult period.

NEHA certainly can't reverse the economic downslide that is taking place "out there." We can, however, help our members during these unsettling times. One example of how NEHA can help its members, especially those who either work in food safety or are responsible for managing a food safety program, can be summarized as follows.

At our annual conference this past July, NEHA launched NEHA Training LLC. NEHA Training represents an effort on our part to advance and enhance food safety training across our country While we seek to have an impact on as many people as possible, we are particularly focused on jurisdictions that have food manager certification requirements in place. The training we offer has been carefully designed to help those who must become certified (or recertified) prepare for the certification exam.

When NEHA moved into this venture, we did it with our members and our profession in mind. Our thinking was that we could provide a meaningful (and profitable) experience for many environmental health professionals by extending to them the opportunity to become registered trainers. NEHA Training LLC produces high-quality training materials for individuals and trainers. In other words, the materials anyone needs to become successful at this endeavor already are available and ready to use. All that is needed for this program to work and to make an impact in communities around the country is trainers. And that is where you and your health department come in.

When you become a registered trainer, either on behalf of your environmental health program or on behalf of yourself, we can together advance the cause of food safety In addition, this program offers you an income opportunity that could be your answer to the impact the recession is having on you or the environmental health program you work in or manage.

Several goals drive this new program of ours.

First, NEHA has long been associated with efforts to advance food safety In fact, food safety represents the single largest specialty area of expertise within our membership. Accordingly--from the educational tracks on food safety at our annual conference to our C.F.S.P. credential to our involvement in food-related organizations to the food safety publications we offer to the safe-food-in-schools project that we work on and so on--NEHA has virtually from its inception in 1937 worked hard to advance food safety in the country and even the world.

In light of this history, one of our goals is to assemble a nationwide team of food safety trainers from the ranks of our profession who can effectively train food service industry personnel in the principles and techniques of food safety.

A second goal is to help environmental health programs meet food manager certification expectations in their communities.

A third goal is to help these programs even further by opening up a modest source of income that can be used to help fund environmental health--especially when so many environmental health programs are being scaled back or being asked to do more with less.

To elaborate on both of these goals-

Whether you work in a community or a state that has food manager certification requirements, the simple truth is that we live and work during a time when our constituencies expect a lot from us. How better to respond to these high expectations than to do something impressive like educate and train increasing numbers of food managers in food safety? Moreover, if the public can be assured of a safe dining experience in large measure because of the work we do, then aren't we making a statement about our profession and demonstrating what it is that we are all about? It would certainly seem so.

In addition, as various health departments set up such training programs, they create a new source of revenue outside of the general fund, licensing fees, and tax-related Income--which is enough to make virtually any politician happy This new stream of income would derive from the training that a health department provides under this program. The income should be in the nature of discretionary revenue, for the health department to use in whatever way it thinks best.

Because we hear that so many environmental health programs are going through cutbacks in continuing education--and continuing education represents the only way our profession can stay current on the issues we face--NEHA hopes that some of this food safety training income might be used to provide environmental health personnel with the continuing education that they need.

In addition, the program can open up a supplemental source of income for every practitioner of environmental health who is knowledgeable in the area of food safety Finally the opportunity to teach this subject serves to deepen the knowledge base of the environmental health professionals involved in food safety These are, respectively, the fourth and fifth goals of our program.

It is said by people wiser than I that you really don't know something until you have to teach it. Imagine how much more deeply one could understand this subject if given the opportunity to teach. Such is our hope. In fact, we see this program as a way to elevate the environmental health professional's knowledge of this topic--which is a cause dear to NEHA and our mission.

Beyond the education and increased proficiencies that this program offers to each person who becomes a registered trainer, there is a financial gain to be realized as well. When you become a registered trainer, NEHA effectively opens up for you a supplemental source of income.

Perhaps you are one of the many in this profession who have recently experienced a salary freeze or even a pay cut. Perhaps you have been laid off or are facing an early retirement. Or perhaps you are just looking for a way to boost your income and at the same time remain true to your dedication to environmental health. If any of these scenarios fit you, you should seriously consider the opportunity to become a trainer under this new program.

As I said when I began, these are indeed tough times. But as any good business knows, they can be survived. One key to making it through and being successful lies in the idea of leveraging.

Many NEHA members have food safety knowledge. The NEHA Training program allows you to leverage that knowledge to advance food safety in your community and either help the environmental health program you manage (or are a part of) or enhance your own income.

Sound too good to be true? Not really--not when you consider that NEHA is your professional society and that we operate to serve you, help you in your job, and advance the goals and ideals of environmental health. You can be sure that commitment is why your elected leadership, the board of directors, chose to move into this program and aim it squarely at our members and the profession we represent and stand for.

For further information on the NEHA Training program, we encourage you to visit the NEHA Training Web site at http://www.NEHATraining.com, or to contact the NEHA Training business manager, Julie Munoz, at 303-756-9090, extension 304.

We hope you decide to take advantage of this special opportunity