Abstract
Strong state-local relationships within the Environmental Public Health Tracking Program (Tracking Program) can enhance the ability of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and local health departments to collect and analyze data that would help determine links between environmental exposure and health. Since the National Association of County & City Health Officials is particularly interested in how local-state partnerships could benefit the Environmental Public Health Tracking Network, this article features strategies to engage local health departments. First, state-local facilitated discussions have been shown to positively impact the public's health. Second, Martin County conducted a program that taught women to avoid overconsumption of high-mercury seafood, which was also implemented in other Florida counties. Finally, the Cincinnati Health Department initiated a project that promoted data sharing with the state, and the results have also been promising. Such efforts indicate that state-local partnerships have the potential to support and enrich the Tracking Program.