Community Case Part 1: Environmental Health: Food Safety
Community Case Part 1: Environmental Health: Food Safety
Columbia General Hospital, located in Johnson County, has observed 10 cases of similar client
symptoms in its emergency room in the past 10 hours. Client ages range from 2 to 67 years old.
Client symptoms consist of nausea, vomiting, severe abdominal cramps, headache, and diarrhea.
Questions for students: Community Case Part 1: Environmental Health: Food Safety
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1. What is your initial needs assessment of this situation?
a. During the initiation of the needs assessment, we realize there are limitations to the ER and its ability to investigate the growing number of cases. We know there is a need for a Nurse Epidemiologist to come and investigate the histories, work places, lifestyles, and travels of these ten cases. The interventions may include a consultation, community organizing, advocacy, policy enforcement, surveillance, disease investigation, screening, referral, follow up, and health teaching.
2. Why might it be important to contact the Johnson County Health Department?
a. It is important to seek guidance and assistance from the Health Department if the staff is overwhelmed, instead of ignoring the problem. The Health Department should be made aware of an arising epidemic, especially when cases are piling up in a short amount of time. The Nurse Epidemiologist should have more resources to investigate a situation like this. Furthermore, all clients should be followed up with even if they were discharged with instructions.
3. What are the duties and role of the local health department?
a. The local health department has a responsibility of using evidence-based practice to investigate, report, and address environmental risk factors. The foundation of disease prevention rests on Public Health Surveillance and Epidemiology. These factors lay a factual basis from which agencies and departments prioritize, plan programs, and take actions to protect the public’s health. Surveillance for
noninfectious diseases related to exposure to the environment (lead and pesticides) is a managed by state health departments. A workgroup defined “10
Essential Environmental Public Health Services” which should help state health departments divide resources and prioritize activities of their environmental epidemiologists. This results in an achievable goal of improving the delivery of environmental health services to the public.
4. What aspects of vulnerable populations could be factors in this outbreak?
a. Residents of low-income areas should be addressed and educated. They should be encouraged to seek help and to learn proper hygiene tactics to protect themselves and others during an outbreak. The community health nurse can open a line of communication with this population by empathizing with their struggles.
Community Case Part 1: Environmental Health: Food Safety
