CSTE ANNUAL MEETING CSTE POSITION STATEMENT 1995-15 COMMITTEE: Environmental/Occupational/Injury Committee TITLE: Communicating the unique role of NIOSH in Occupational Disease and Injury Prevention ISSUE: There has been congressional discussion that the NIOSH function is duplicative of regulatory agencies and thus unnecessary. POSITION TO BE ADOPTED: CSTE recognizes that NIOSH functions are essential and unique and that NIOSH plays a critical role in facilitating the ability of each state to address occupational public health issues. CSTE strongly supports maintaining NIOSH. BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION: NIOSH serves a unique service to the states: 1) NIOSH provides unique medical, epidemiologic, industrial hygiene, and toxicological expertise to the states upon their request; and 2) NIOSH facilitates state health department activities in the prevention of occupational disease by coordinating multi-state preventive programs, by facilitating communication among state health departments, and facilitating information sharing between the academic community and state health departments. NIOSH is a non-regulatory public health research and prevention resource that is not duplicative of regulatory agencies. NIOSH works with all states to do collaborative research on injury fatalities, 22 states to prevent lead poisoning, and many other states for other conditions (e.g., asthma, TB, occupational burns, amputations). All of these activities are essential to meeting year 2000 national health promotion and disease prevention objectives for the nation. COORDINATION WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS: ASTHO CONTACT: Anna Maria Osorio, M.D., M.P.H. California Department of Health Services 5801 Christie Avenue, Suite 600 Emeryville, California 94608 (510) 450-2400 telephone (510) 450-2411 fax