1. Introduction

ESSENTIAL PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE #4: Mobilize community partnerships and action to identify and solve health problems.

This service involves convening and facilitating community groups and associations, including those not typically considered being health-related, in undertaking defined preventive, screening, rehabilitation, and support programs; and skilled coalition-building ability in order to draw upon the full range of potential human and material resources in the cause of community health.

ACVPM MODEL CURRICULUM AREAS:

Food Safety: Preharvest requirements to ensure a safe food supply (sanitation on the farm)

Zoonoses: parasites (nematodes - toxocariasis, ascariasis, cestodes – taeniasis), rarely occurring zoonoses (trichinosis)

Environmental health: Air quality (health hazards to man and animals, ventilation principles and systems, noise), Water quality (health hazards – major diseases that have been found to be associated with waterborne transmission of infectious agents), wastes (sources of agricultural wastes, health hazards), community health management strategy (problem definition – health resources that must be considered in the development of strategy for responsible management of an environmental health issue), issue analysis – needs and resources

Community Health: Organization of community health activities (definition of community health, role of the veterinarian in safeguarding community health, scenarios of community health problems which should include veterinarians and their possible roles/functions), administrative aspects of community health (political/administrative issues at the practitioner level – veterinary participation in management of community health problems), community health planning, delivery and evaluation (utilization of veterinarians in community health activities – possible sources and uses of veterinary manpower/resources to assist in addressing community health problems), specific community health issues involving animals (environmental issues related to swine)

PRIMARY EXAMPLE: Health hazards associated with livestock (swine)

SECONDARY EXAMPLE: Health hazards associated with urban wildlife (rats, deer)

2. Learning Objectives

At end of class, students should be able to:

• Identify veterinary public health issues of concern to communities

• List health resources available to local communities in resolving veterinary public health issues

• Describe potential health hazards associated with swine-raising operations, rodents in urban environments, and deer in suburban/urban environments

• Identify potential roles for veterinarians to play in community-level environmental health issues

3. Required Reading

Wing S. Social responsibility and research ethics in community-driven studies of industrialized hog production. Environmental Health Perspectives 2002; 110:437-44.

Cole D, Todd L, and S Wing. Concentrated swine feeding operations and public health: A review of occupational and community health effects . Environmental Health Perspectives 2000; 108:685-99.

Lindenmayer, JM. Case Study: Community Concerns about a Local Swine-Raising Facility in a Massachusetts community.