TEHA Beacon Quarterly Newsletter - Archive Summer 2009

Vol. 15, No. 3 Summer 2009 - Archive

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In This Issue

Message from the President

Greetings TEHA!

We are gearing up for the annual October conference in Austin and have some exciting things to add this year! Please try to make it!! Not only is it a great source for educational credits it is also a great networking and support opportunity. During these hard economic
times our field of profession is experiencing, I want to give everyone a "pat on the back" for your hard work! As dedicated as you are to our "necessary" field, TEHA is dedicated to you!

Take Care of Yourselves!
(So you can take care of Texas!)

Kelly

Message from Sandra Long-NEHA Region V VP
Summer 2009 Report

The 2009 NEHA Annual Educational Conference and Exhibit, was held June 21-24, 2009, in beautiful Atlanta, Georgia. The keynote presentation by Dr. Howard Frumkin, MD, MPH, DrPH, on the role of environmental health in sustainability was outstanding.

Brian Collins became the NEHA 2nd Vice President. In the spring ballots for 2010, 2nd Vice President Election will include two candidates: Alicia Enriquez from California and Michéle Samarya-Timm from New Jersey.

The Walter F. Snyder Award is presented by the National Environmental Health Association and NSF International to a recipient who has achieved peer recognition for outstanding accomplishment in the fields of health and the environment, for notable contributions to public health and the quality of life, for demonstrated capacity to work with all interests in solving environmental problems, for knowledge and proficiency in utilizing voluntary standards to obtain environmental objectives, and for leadership in securing action on behalf of health or environmental goals.

I was excited to introduce the 2009 Walter F Snyder Award winner, Dr. Terrance (Terry) Gratton from the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth, Texas. There will be a reception honoring Dr. Gratton on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009, at the Omni SouthPark in conjunction with the TEHA AEC in Austin, Texas.

The NEHA AEC included the annual general assembly, caucus meetings and focus groups, which were attended by the affiliate presidents and NEHA members. Region 5 was well represented with members from Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas.

At the NEHA opening assembly the City of Plano Health Department received the 2009 Dr. Neil Lowry Memorial Award from the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals (APSP). The national award recognizes the City’s effort to train the pool community through education and inspection while protecting public health in use of recreational water facilities.

Important note for NEHA Members: NEHA recognizes the need for continuing education and communication in the profession. NEHA members who are laid-off or become unemployed will be offered a one-year membership at no cost. This will allow NEHA members continued access to the free online education and other membership services. Additional information can be found on the NEHA website.

The Region V Newsletter is sent via e-mail to the affiliate presidents and the affiliate websites by Aug. 1. Additional educational venues, NEHA committee reports and positions will be posted in the newsletter.

Chapter Reports

Central Texas
Our Annual Education Conference was held May 21-22, 2009, in San Marcos, Texas. It was a great conference and a great turn out with over 100 TEHA members attending. The OSSF Session had such a great turnout that we are going to upgrade and move them to a bigger room to hold more attendees. THANK YOU to all the speakers who made our conference a great success!!! It was also decided that an Animal Services track will be offered during our conference in May 2010.

I want to take this time to thank all the members of CTEHA for allowing me to serve as their President for the past year. It was wonderful getting to meet and talk to most of you at our conferences. I also want to thank the governing council members for all of your hard work and dedication to this chapter. I know that I am leaving CTEHA in very capable hands and look forward to serving as Past President this next year.

Remember, our new t-shirts are also available to all TEHA members for $15.00. They'll be on hand at the TEHA AEC in October.

Amanda Wilson, RS
Chapter President

East Texas
The East Texas Chapter of TEHA helped to sponsor several successful meetings this spring thanks to the resourceful efforts of many of our members!! The Animal Cruelty Investigation Seminar in Longview on May 28 drew people from across the state and was well received. On June 11 in Tyler, we had a diversified morning session talking about food safety, H1N1 Update/Impact, and pest control followed by a Swimming Pool Workshop in the afternoon with good participation.

At the end of that program, the annual business meeting was convened where we discussed future plans for the chapter and the Positions to be filled for the upcoming election of East Texas ChapterÊOfficers and Governing Council members in the fall. Please submit to me the names of people who would like to serve in any of these four positions of: 2nd Vice-President and (3) Governing Council members .
With the intense summer heat upon us now, remember to keep your head covered, drink lots of water and take frequent breaks when working outside to prevent heat exhaustion or heat stroke!!!

Mark your calendars on October 14-16 to attend anÊexceptional TEHA AEC in Austin!! See you there!

Jim Longacre, R.S., Chapter President

Gulf Coast
The Gulf Coast Chapter is going to hold a second 1-day conference, of the year, in Humble, TX, on August 12. One additional meeting date and location is tentatively planned for November 18 at the Lone Star Convention Center in Conroe, TX. We are attempting to include separate tracks for OSSF and Animal Control for this November meeting.

Each meeting will give attendees the opportunity to earn up to 6 continuing education credits. Planned upcoming topics for August are “Mobile Food Establishment Fire Safety,” “Organic Food Standards,” “Signs to Look for involving Human Trafficking,” “City of Houston’s Feral Feline Relocation Program,” “Gulf Coast Area Water Quality Issues,” and Area Air Pollution Problems.”

The Governing Council will be meeting on July 7 to firm up the August meeting agenda and discuss other upcoming events.

Russell O’Brien, RS
Chapter President

North Texas
WOW! What a fun, informative meeting we had on May 7 in Mesquite! With over 100 people in attendance, it was great learning about hoarder houses, TB outbreaks, Gas Drilling Noise, with a splash of Crypto from Dr. Chung, Chief Epidemiologist from Dallas County. Thanks to the Mesquite Arts Center for supplying the facilities!
Your Governing Council is busy planning upcoming chapter meetings... including the HOLIDAY MEETING! (It's going to be hard to top the last one!) Please let us know if there is a topic of interest that we could possibly present to the chapter! We love hearing from you!

Be Safe!

Susan Yates, CFSP, CP-FM
Chapter President

Panhandle/West Texas
I have really enjoyed being your chapter president this year. I could not have done it without the support of everyone, but especially Tommy Bartley and Dan Dennison. Thank you both so much!

On June 26, we had our chapter meeting in Midland. I would really like to thank Sal Garcia and his team. The meeting was fabulous once again.

Please watch for the “TFER 101” training that we will be sponsoring soon. This class will be held in Lubbock and will be a great opportunity for us to review and discuss all of the rules inside this huge document. This class will also help set a foundation for another future meeting that will discuss the changes in the 2009 FDA Food Code. What a great way for us to review and get some more CEUs locally!

Please continue to talk to your friends about TEHA and encourage any non-members that work with you to join!

Cheryn Hargrave, RS
Panhandle/West Texas Chapter President

South Texas
Hello from the beautiful beaches of South Padre Island!

First and foremost, we will greatly miss our longtime treasurer, Yolanda Cadena, for the many years of service that she has contributed! We would also like to welcome our new treasurer, Edna Stambaugh.

Secondly, we will NOT be hosting our Texas Department of Agriculture Vector Control Seminar because of difficulties with speaker cancellations. Weslaco will be hosting a Vector Control Class August 21-22, 2009, by AgriLife. Exam will be offered two weeks after the class, for those registered and approved from the Structural Pest Control Services. Please call 866-918-4481 no later than two weeks prior to class to register to take your exam. For further information, please contact Denise King at dking@ag.tamu.edu or visit their website at www-aes.tamu.edu.

As of June 5, we now have a full and active board and are working toward another successful Conference on December 9, 10 and 11, 2009. We will have a special guest speaker with an autograph session afterwards. Stay tuned for more details!
We would like to thank all of our TEHA members for making this another successful year and we look forward to seeing you in December.

J. Victor Baldovinos, CEO
South Texas Chapter President

Information and Notices
Going Green	You have read in each edition of the Beacon this year that TEHA is "going green." TEHA is striving to conserve resources and reduce waste. So what does this mean to you? TEHA will produce more electronic communication, including the Beacon...and yes, it will remain available on the web site. TEHA is targeting early Spring of 2010 to make this transition. It is very important that we have your current email address as we move forward with this change. If you have changed email addresses since last August (2008), please send your current email address to steve.berry@myteha.org so we can update our database. Thanks and we look forward to seeing each of you at the AEC in October! Steve Berry, RS Executive Secretary-Treasurer Texas Environmental Health Association
Spotlight on Members Rudy Phillips has been employed with Dallas County Health Department for 20 years as a Sanitarian. He learned earlier this year that he is going to be inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.	Rudolph (Rudy) Phillips was born February 25, 1958 and played college football at North Texas State where he was a four year letterman and a three year starter at guard. Phillips was signed by the Ottawa Rough Riders for the final six games of the season in 1981 including the Grey Cup final against the Edmonton Eskimos. Phillips played 13 games in 1982, 16 games in 1983, and 13 games in 1984 for the Rough Riders. His performance on the offensive line started to generate him recognition and awards. In 1982, 1983, and 1984 he was the Rough Riders’ nominee for Outstanding Offensive Lineman. He was the winner of the Outstanding Lineman Award two years in a row, 1982 and 1983. In 1985, Phillips left the Ottawa Rough Riders and pursued a career in the NFL. Phillips returned to the CFL in 1986, this time with the Edmonton Eskimos. He played every game of the 1986 season. During that season he was selected as a PWA Lineman Star of the Week, as well as being selected as a Western All-Star for the first time and named to the CFL All-Star team for the third time in his career. Phillips won his first Grey Cup in 1987 when the Eskimos defeated the Argonauts. Inducted 2009 - Player -- Article courtesy Canadian Football League Playing Career Ottawa Rough Riders 1981 – 1984 Edmonton Eskimos 1986 – 1987 Calgary Stampeders 1988 Awards and Honours Eastern All – Star Offensive Guard 1982, 1983 Western All – Star Offensive Guard 1986 All – Canadian 1982, 1983, 1986 Schenley’s Outstanding Offensive Lineman 1982, 1983 Leo Dandurand Trophy 1982, 1983 Grey Cup Participation 1981, 1986, 1987 Grey Cup Winning Teams 1987
Terrance B. Gratton Receives the 2009 Walter F. Snyder Award	NSF International and the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) today announced that Terrance B. Gratton, Dr.P.H., D.A.A.S., R.S. is the recipient of the 2009 Walter F. Snyder Award. Dr. Gratton will be presented the award at NEHA's 73rd Annual Educational Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, on Sunday, June 21, 2009 at approximately 9:00 AM EST. This prestigious award, given in honor of NSF's co-founder and first Executive Director, is presented annually to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the advancement of environment health. Dr. Gratton was recognized for his 40-year career within the San Antonio, Texas, Metropolitan Health Department, the U.S. Public Health Service and the University of North Texas School of Public Health. Dr. Gratton serves on several institutional and academic committees, including Chair of the Health Science Center Safety Committee. He is a founding member of the Alpha Sigma Chapter of Delta Omega Public Health Honor Society and has received the Public Health Student Association Award for outstanding contributions for service and events. He has also received an Outstanding Teaching Award from the University of North Texas School of Public Health.

The Beacon
Volume 15, Number 3
Summer, 2009

Quarterly Newsletter of
Texas Environmental Health Association
PO Box 860099
Plano, TX 75086-0099
Phone 972-461-9644
Fax 972-429-9066

Web-site: www.myteha.org
Email: steve.berry@myteha.org

The Texas Environmental Health Association has not tested any of the products or services advertised or referred to in this publication, nor has it verified any of the statements made in any of the advertisements or articles. Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily the official opinion of the Texas Environmental Health Association.

The Beacon: Published quarterly as the official publication of the Texas Environmental Health Association. This publication is intended to keep all interested parties informed on matters as they relate to environmental health, especially in Texas.

Editorial and Advertisements: Address all correspondence regarding technical editorial matters or purchase of advertisements to:

Steve Berry, REHS, RS, DAAS
Editor, The Beacon

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Steve Berry, REHS, RS, DAAS
Executive Secretary - Treasurer