Letters to the editor.Dear Editor: I just read the article in the November issue of the Journal titled "Practicing Environmental Health in a Down Economy: 'Put on Your Superman Superman invincible scourge of crime. [Comics: Horn, 642–643] See : Crime Fighting Superman superhero under guise of Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter. Cape.'" It was very nice to see such a well-written article confronting what we all know is the biggest problem in our field--lack of notoriety NOTORIETY, evidence. That which is generally known. 2. This notoriety is of fact or of law. In general, the notoriety of a fact is not sufficient to found a judgment or to rely on its truth; 1 Ohio Rep. . Dr. Berg has hit the nail right on the head with this article. I think NEHA's work on the Heroes in Environmental Health video is commendable com·mend tr.v. com·mend·ed, com·mend·ing, com·mends 1. To represent as worthy, qualified, or desirable; recommend. 2. To express approval of; praise. See Synonyms at praise. 3. as well. We need to educate the public at large about just what exactly it is we do. The only time we make the news is when a major foodborne illness A foodborne illness (also foodborne disease) is any illness resulting from the consumption of food. Although foodborne illness is commonly called food poisoning, this is often a misnomer. occurs, there is a hazardous materials accident, or a communicable-disease epidemic strikes. The media cries, "Where was the health department?" or "Where was the regulatory oversight
Oversight may refer to:
As Benjamin Franklin said, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Our work in environmental\public health is preventive preventive /pre·ven·tive/ (pre-vent´iv) prophylactic. pre·ven·tive or pre·ven·ta·tive adj. Preventing or slowing the course of an illness or disease; prophylactic. n. . When nothing happens, we are doing our jobs effectively. This is a double-edged sword, however. When something does happen, it can be difficult to explain to the media, the general public, and elected officials why the incident occurred if the focus of our jobs is prevention. To say that nothing is foolproof would seem like ducking the issue in some eyes and may also appear to be an attempt to dodge responsibility. It is difficult, if not impossible, to say how many accidents a safety professional has prevented, what number of foodborne illnesses a restaurant inspector has stopped, or how many cases of cholera cholera (kŏl`ərə) or Asiatic cholera, acute infectious disease caused by strains of the bacterium Vibrio cholerae that have been infected by bacteriophages. a water quality expert has prevented. The theme for professionals in environmental\public health, even in good economic times, is "Do more with less." Perhaps if more people knew just how many times in a single day their lives are touched by an environmental health professional, our profession would get the recognition and respect it deserves. Sincerely, Gary Hague City and County of Broomfield Colorado |
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