Environmental Health Offices; located in Roundpoint Bldg, Cornwall Island, ON Tel: 613-937-0760 Fax: Environmental Health in First Nations Communities As First Nations communities and Tribal Councils assume greater responsibility for health programs, they continue to address the issues of community environmental health standards, the establishment of by-laws to protect the health and safety of their community, and the need for ongoing health education and health promotion programs. Keeping healthy is more than a matter of luck. Many factors influence our ability to stay well. Our lifestyle plays an important role in keeping healthy. Conditions in our environment - our social, cultural, economic and physical surroundings - influence our ability to achieve and maintain good health. In any community, a safe environment means safe water and food supplies, suitably built and maintained housing, and proper disposal of wastes. A safe workplace will minimize injury and occupational disease. Basically, an environmental health program involves identifying, preventing and correcting environmental problems which affect the health of community members. This program is currently delivered by the Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) employed by First Nations and Inuit Health Program Directorate, Medical Services Branch, Health Canada. All EHOs are required to possess a Certificate in Public Health Inspection (Canada) which is issued by the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors. They have completed the required field training and passed national examinations. They deliver the program in consultation with the individual communities they serve. Medical Services Branch actively encourages people of Indian/lnuit ancestry to pursue postsecondary education leading to health careers, including Environmental Health. Under the Indian and Inuit Health Careers Program, scholarships and bursaries are available. Some institutions are actively involved in the recruitment of First Nations students in cooperation with Medical Services Branch and the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors. For further information on your Environmental Health Program, please contact Craig Wakelin at the Community Health Representative office, located on Cornwall Island: 613-936-0760.