CIEH shows support for NEHA colleagues

CIEH has released a statement in support of its colleagues at the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) in the United States.

NEHA has been notified of the termination of certain Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded grants supporting its programs. This federal action effects four Democrat-led states including Colorado where NEHA is based. NEHA is therefore directly impacted, along with organisations in other similarly situated states. As a result, they have paused work on all affected projects.

NEHA is now evaluating the impact of this decision and exploring responsible pathways to continue priority work where feasible.

Mark Elliott, CIEH President, said:

“The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) recognises the recent developments affecting programmes supported by the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) in the United States.

“Environmental health is not optional infrastructure. It is what keeps food safe, housing habitable, water clean and communities protected from preventable harm. When prevention systems are disrupted, the typically invisible protection they offer becomes very quickly visible, and it is our communities that bear the consequences.

“Environmental health professionals work quietly and consistently to prevent outbreaks, reduce exposure to hazards and safeguard public wellbeing. This work depends on stable, sustained investment and long-term workforce development.

“Across the world, we are seeing growing pressures on public health systems. Prevention-led services should be recognised as foundational to national resilience and economic stability, not peripheral to it.

“Environmental health challenges do not stop at borders. International collaboration, shared standards and professional solidarity strengthen our collective ability to protect communities.
CIEH remains committed to advancing environmental health globally and to supporting the professionals who safeguard public health every day.”