Louisiana Department of Health & Hospitals | Bruce Greenstein, Secretary

Louisiana Environmental Public Health Tracking Program

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A Partner of the National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program

The Louisiana Environmental Public Health Tracking Program (LEPHT) is a five year cooperative agreement that was funded by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop an environmental public health tracking network in Louisiana. The program fulfills the mandate of Louisiana Act 666 that required the state to develop an Environmental Health Surveillance System to track physical, chemical, biological, and social factors that may play a role in the development of chronic diseases affecting the citizens of Louisiana.

LEPHT Network (Entry to Data Portal): http://lepht.dhh.la.gov

Purpose

The National EPHT and LEPHT provide tools to monitor health, exposure and environmental data and guide public health actions. Both the CDC and the LDHH are developing the tracking networks in response to calls for a better understanding of how the environment can affect people's health. These are web-based systems that will combine health and environmental data and will provide residents with information to address public health concerns, to educate the public about ways to protect themselves from diseases and chemicals of concern. Information that is collected for LEPHT will be included on the National Tracking Network that is being developed by the CDC and its other local and state health departments and universities who have received funds from the CDC to participate in this program. One of the benefits of tracking is that it will allow and encourage health care providers, state and local health departments and members of the general public to take control of their health.

Conditions Tracked by LEPHT and the National EPHT

Health Conditions:

• Asthma
• Birth Defects
• Cancer
• Carbon Monoxide poisoning
• Childhood lead poisoning
• Heart Attacks
• Reproductive and Birth Outcomes

Environmental Data:

• Air Quality (ozone and particulate matter)
• Public Drinking Water
• Well Water

Benefits of the National EPHT

• The Network will bring together information from local, state and national sources.
• The Network will include hazard, exposure and health data.
• The Network will provide users with current information.
• Communities will have better information to make choices about their health.
• Scientists can identify issues for further investigation.
• Officials will be better able to look at what programs are needed and what which ones are working.
• The Network will put public health and hazard information that has been collected from different sources into a standard format.
• The Network will be secure and reliable.
• The Network will grow as more information becomes available.