Purpose
After completing Competency #1, you will understand ATSDR’s role at hazardous waste sites and be able to develop a broad conceptual model of the site which includes, identifying potential exposure concerns, the information necessary for an evaluation, and stakeholders' concerns.
Courses and Training Videos
Modules
- Online Public Health Assessment Training (PHAT) - In this series of online and interactive web-based modules, you will learn the fundamentals of the PHA process. For this competency, please review PHAT Modules 1 and 2.
- PHAT Module 1: ATSDR and Its Method - In Module 1, you will learn about ATSDR and the PHA process.
- PHAT Module 2: PHA Overview - In Module 2, you will learn more details about the PHA and how to work with communities affected by hazardous waste sites.
Webinars
- Public Health Assessment Guidance Manual (PHAGM) - This webinar will provide you with an overview of the ATSDR PHAGM sections. PHAGM was released in 2022. It describes all aspects of the PHA process from gathering environmental data, working with communities, identifying possible health effects, and determining conclusions and recommendations.
- The Health Assessment Process and your Community - In this short video, you'll discover the role of ATSDR and what you can anticipate from our organization. The video will highlight the important work of health assessors including conducting site visits, engaging with community members, and analyzing data.
Guidance
Public Health Assessment Guidance Manual (PHAGM)
PHAGM describes methods and resources that you can use to evaluate environmental exposures associated with environmental contamination. For this competency, please review the following sections 1 through 3 of PHAGM.
- Understanding the PHA Process - ATSDR performs the PHA process to determine whether people living near a hazardous waste site are being exposed to toxic substances, whether that exposure is harmful, and what must be done to stop or reduce exposure. The process enables ATSDR to identify and prioritize follow-up activities to protect public health.
- Who's Involved - This section in PHAGM explains ATSDR's role in the PHA process and describes the various groups and individuals involved in the PHA process activities.
- Getting Familiar with the Site - This section in PHAGM describes the steps for gathering pertinent site information during the PHA process. It describes the types of information you will need to collect and available resources for gathering this information.
Tools
Worksheets and Checklists
These worksheets and checklists will help you focus on the initial information you need to gather so you are familiar with the site and the surrounding community.
- ATSDR's Community Data Worksheet - The ATSDR's Community Data Worksheet will help you organize all the information gathered during the community assessment, including data from surveys, interviews, Internet searches, and media analyses.
- Public Health Assessment Process Step Checklist - Use this checklist to have a list of all the steps involved in the PHA process, along with explanations for each step.
- Site Information Checklist - Use this table to have a list of the issues and medium-specific concerns that you should consider when reviewing data for the PHA.
Resources
Table of Resources Specific to Getting Familiar with the Site - Use this table for a list of resources, along with their explanations, that you should consider to better understand the site that you are investigating as part of the PHA process.