As part of the National Association of County and City Health Officials’ (NACCHO’s) work to support and serve 3,000 local health departments (LHDs) in the United States, NACCHO is releasing a bi-weekly blog consisting of an up-to-date collection of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) resources for our members working at the intersection of environmental health and COVID-19. Read the last blog from 10/15/2020.

Curated Resources as of 10/27/2020

NACCHO’s COVID-19 Updates/Events:

• NACCHO is accepting applications for our 2020-2021 COVID-19 Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Workforce Training Advisory Board. This time-limited group will help identify gaps in the training currently available to support local health department (LHD) IPC efforts, as well as inform the process of enhancing training and materials available to build LHD IPC knowledge and capacity. Applications are due October 30.

Health in All Policies Event:

• Webinar: Health in All Policies in times of COVID-19: What Role for the Health Sector Moving Forward?
  • November 10 | 10 to 11:30 AM EST | Online
  • NACCHO will be participating in a Global Network for Health in All Policies (GNHiAP webinar to explore how Health in All Policies can help address inequalities and act on the social determinants affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. To learn more about this opportunity and to register, visit the GNHiAP website. If you have any questions, please contact the GNHiAP Secretariat at: [email protected]

Upcoming Early Childhood Education (ECE) Events:

• Protecting Children’s Environmental Health While Re-opening Schools: Recommendations from the Healthy Schools Network
  • October 28 | 1:00 PM ET
  • This Collaborative on Health and the Environment webinar will discuss environmental health and justice aspects of school re-opening across the United States.
• Indoor Air Quality in Schools and Childcare Facilities During COVID-19
  • November 10 | 2:00 PM ET
  • With recent updates in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance regarding transmission of the novel coronavirus through aerosolization, this webinar will discuss how to safely reopen schools and childcare centers while maintaining indoor air quality.

ECE Resources:

• National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine released the new “Reopening K-12 Schools During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Prioritizing Health, Equity, and Communities”
• COVID-19 Risk among Child Care Providers: Read Yale University’s study on the spread of COVID-19 among childcare workers and explore supplemental resources from Child Care Aware® of America.

Food Safety Resources:

• Coronavirus Q&As for Consumers
• Employee Health and Food Safety Checklist for Human and Animal Food Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Best Practices for Re-Opening Retail Food Establishments During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Food Safety Checklist

Highlights from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):

• EPA’s List of Approved SARS-CoV-2 Surface Disinfectant Products Passes 500
• EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) will hold an online public meeting of the Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC) on Oct. 28-29, 2020. Topics will include OPP’s COVID-19 response activities, including testing the efficacy of disinfectants against SARS-CoV-2.

Preparedness Toolkits:

• This Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Preservation Planning toolkit developed by HHS ASPR Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange’s (TRACIE’s) COVID-19 Healthcare Resilience Working Group, links to a guide and an Excel spreadsheet that can help users understand types of PPE preservation strategies and calculate how using those strategies can increase the duration of a specified PPE supply.

See any EH and COVID-19 categories missing on this bi-weekly blog? Let us know by emailing [email protected]. Continue to check back with NACCHO’s Essential Elements for COVID-19 and LHD resources.