Environmental Health Officers

1. Environmental Health Officers Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service -USPHS- Insert Officer’s Name Insert School Name Insert Date EHOPAC Marketing and Recruitment Subcommittee

2. Our Mission Protecting, Promoting, and Advancing the Health and Safety of the Nation.

3. Insert your rank, name, credential (YYYY-present) • Insert your title • Insert your “command” (e.g., Branch, District Office) • Insert your Agency (e.g., CDC, IHS, NPS, USCG)

4. America’s Health Responders USNS Comfort • Examples of missions: • Natural disasters • Multistate outbreak investigations • Mass gatherings • Terrorist attacks (9/11, Anthrax) • International humanitarian assistance

5. Commissioned Corps Officers: • Over 6,000 well trained, highly qualified public health professionals. • Essential component of the largest public health and response program in the world • Highly motivated with an attitude of service

6. Commissioned Corps Officers: • Desire to improve the health of humankind, both within and beyond our borders • Enjoy the prospect of a highly varied and dynamic career

7. How We Serve • Environmental Health & Protection • Environmental Health Officer with the IHS • Disease control and prevention • Epidemiologist at CDC • Biomedical research • Researcher at NIH • Regulation of food and drugs • Consumer safety officer at FDA • Mental health & AODA treatment • Therapist at BOP • Health care delivery • Physician at IHS • International health • Emergency and humanitarian response

8. USPHS Commissioned Corps One of the Seven Uniformed Services Executive Branch DOD DHHS DHS Commerce Army USPHS Coast Guard NOAA Navy Air Force Marines

9. Disciplines within the Commissioned Corps • Environmental Health Officers • Physicians • Dentists • Nurses • Pharmacists • Dietitians • Engineers • Mental Health Specialists, (clinical psychologists and clinical social workers) • Optometrists • Physician Assistants • Scientists/Researchers • Therapists (occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech language pathology, respiratory therapy, and audiology) • Veterinarians • Other health-related disciplines

10. PROTECTING PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY... …FOR 215 YEARS A proud history From Ellis Island… …To tribal lands. Across America Around the World Source: www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/phs_history/intro.html

11. 1798 — Sick & Disabled Seamen Relief Act 1870 — Centralized Marine Hospital Service 1871 — John Maynard Woodworth 1889 — Formalized as US Uniformed Service of MHS 1902 — MHS to PHMHS (Ellis Island/State quarantine) 1912 — PHS; broadened power; investigate diseases, sanitation 2012 — Over 6,000 active-duty officers within 13 disciplines Commissioned Corps Timeline

12. Established as the Sanitarian category in 1943 Strength grew from ~75 officers to nearly 400 today Traditionally focused on food sanitation, water and wastewater treatment, and vector-borne disease Now serving on the front lines in the Nation’s fight against disease undertaking highly specialized services in broad areas of public health Environmental Health Officers History …

13. Where We Are Assigned (Not all agencies and programs are represented)

14. What it takes to be an Officer in the Commissioned Corps: • Meet Basic qualifications: • U.S. citizen • Less than 44 years of age • Medically qualified • Qualifying degree from an accredited institution (varies depending on profession) • Additional requirement: • Current, unrestricted professional license (if applicable)

15. Some of the benefits • 30 days of paid vacation per year • Competitive starting pay that increases with promotions and years of service • Noncontributory retirement based on a 20 to 30 year career • Full medical and dental • Low-cost health and dental for dependents or no cost at uniformed services facilities • Veteran’s Administration benefits • Paid sick leave • Thrift Savings Plan • Use of military commissaries, exchanges, and other programs

16. Five Pillars 1. Serving the needs of vulnerable or medically underserved population 2. Serving in hardship locations or difficult to recruit position • 1. Serving the needs of vulnerable or medically underserved populations, • 2. Serving in hardship locations or difficult to recruit positions, • 3. Being available for rapid deployment, • 4. Requiring regular engagement with other uniformed services, • 5. Addresses an important public health need but can only be filled with a Commissioned Corps officer 3. Being available for rapid deployment 5. Addresses an important public health need but can only be filled with a Commissioned Corps officer 4. Requiring regular engagement with other uniformed services USPHS

17. Duty Locations Coast to Coast

18. COSTEP Opportunities • Junior COSTEP • One year in a qualifying program • Two years in specific health disciplines • Work one to four months during school • No obligation after graduation • Senior COSTEP • Full-time students in specific public health disciplines • At least eight months remaining in their final year* • Obligated to work for twice the amount of time • Sponsored by the Corps

19. Environmental Health in the [insert your organization] [insert your own photos]

20. [personal experience] [insert additional information/photos or your experience as an EHO]

21. [personal experience] [insert additional information/photos or your experience as an EHO]

22. Surgeon General: Vice Admiral Regina Benjamin “Prevention is the foundation of public health, and prevention is the foundation of my work as Surgeon General. If we want to truly reform health care in this country, we need to prevent people from getting sick in the first place, and stop disease before it starts.” Vice Admiral Regina M. Benjamin, M.D., M.B.A.

23. Questions? For more information please contact: [insert your rank, name, credentials] Telephone: 000-000-0000 E-mail: asdf@aaa.gov EHOPAC Marketing and Marketing and Recruitment Subcommittee