 Upcoming Webinars - Please register in advance using the link below. EHFS webinars are for state and local health officials, sanitarians maintaining CEs, and partner organizations only.
Youth Camp and Temporary Camp Plan Reviews - August 20th at 9AM: This webinar will cover the basics of temporary camping and youth camp plan reviews including the new plan review application forms. Register here.
Other Opportunities
Basic Mushroom Growing, Harvesting, Holding, and Packing Activities Under the Produce Safety Rule - August 6 at 12PM MST: The webinar will focus on information around growing, harvesting, packing and holding practices for the most common types of mushrooms, white and button. Persons interested in attending must register here.
If you have questions related to upcoming trainings or would like to be added to the Training Announcement List, please contact Karenna at Karenna.Doctor@mt.gov.
-Karenna
 We are in the final process of contracting with HSGovTech. This process has taken longer than originally planned. Because of this, we are extending the contract with our current provider, Gold. We will be using the Gold System through another license renewal.
A timeline for HSGovTech implementation will be shared as soon as we have it finalized.
-Staci
 EHFS will be replacing the Sanitarian Resource page with Connected Community. Connected Community is a platform for public health professionals across Montana to connect through discussions, resources, and events. Now is a great time to get your account set up so you are used to Connected Community by the time the Sanitarian Resource page is removed.
Please follow the instructions below to register for Connected Community.
- Navigate to the Connected Community website homepage in your browser.
- Click the dark blue "Sign-In" button at the top right of the homepage to go to the Login/Registration page.
- Once on the page that says "Login or Registration" at the top, click the link in blue text that says "New User/Register Now."
- Input all required information to create your account. Use your professional email address to register since this platform is only available to public health professionals. If you do not have a county or state email, please indicate that you are a sanitarian under "Job Title" or email Kayla Chipongian at kayla.chipongian@cphamt.org to let her know to approve you.
- Submit your registration information by clicking the dark blue "Create Account" button at the bottom of the page.
- After your registration is approved by the Connected Community administrators, you will receive a verification email with a link to activate your account.
- Follow the link in your verification email and all instructions to complete your registration. Make sure to check your spam and junk folders if you cannot find the email.
- Once you have your account set up, click on the "Communities" header in the navigation bar at the top.
- Scroll until you see the 'Environmental Health and Food Safety Sanitarian Resources Community.' Click the "Request to Join" button to join. You will be approved by an EHFS staff member to access the community and its resources shortly after.
If you run into any issues with registration, please reach out to Kayla Chipongian at kayla.chipongian@cphamt.org.
-Karenna
 The Montana Environmental Health Association (MEHA) invites you to become a member! From now until August 9th, 2024 anyone signing up for a MEHA individual membership (MEHA Standard, MEHA Student, MEHA Retired) can use the discount code: MEHA50 to receive 50% off of their membership fee. SIGN UP HERE!
MEHA is member-led and member-informed. The MEHA Board and membership ensure that Montana has both high standards of professional performance and an informed state-level policy and partnership voice for registered sanitarians.
MEHA membership benefits include:
- Regular environmental health policy calls to keep membership informed and get membership input. Right now, MEHA is working on licensed establishment fee increases. More info – click here.
- A monthly newsletter with membership highlights and professional development opportunities.
- A discount at the annual Confluence conference, which includes 20+ hours of continuing education, networking, and membership recognition.
- Scholarships to attend the statewide Confluence and national NEHA conferences.
- Click here for additional MEHA Membership Benefits and Testimonials.
- Membership is $50 or $25 if you are a student (before the discount MEHA50).
For any questions, please contact meha@cphamt.org or any MEHA board member: https://www.confluencepha.org/meha.
-Sadie
 You know us, we love an acronym! Earlier this month a group of MEHA members attended the NEHA AEC 2024 conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I, along with Staci Evangeline (DPHHS), Jordan Machado (Yellowstone County), Barbara Krizek (Carbon County), Robin Blumberg (Lincoln County), and Jesse Gutierrez (Carbon County), met up in the city of Pittsburgh to celebrate Montana environmental health at a national conference! Did you know that MEHA offers scholarships for its members to attend national conferences like this? If not, now you do!
Another great benefit of being a MEHA member is the new Registered Sanitarian Mentorship Program (RSMP). The first cohort of 8 mentees from across our state graduates on Tuesday, July 30th. I presented on this first year of the program and the lessons learned along the way at the NEHA AEC and there was support, enthusiasm, and ideas from other environmental health affiliates from around the country interested in starting their own mentorship programs.
Please join me in congratulating this first cohort! They have completed this 6-month program and have helped launch this new and exciting project in collaboration with the Confluence Public Health Alliance. Make sure to keep an eye on the Confluence newsletter for bios on the participants in this program and details on their final projects.
Details concerning the next cohort in the RSMP will become available in the fall. Please call or email me with any questions.
-Kira
MEHA members (from left to right: Staci Evangeline, Jordan Machado, Kira Flagstead, Barbara Krizek, Robin Blumberg, and Jesse Gutierrez) at dinner during the NEHA AEC 2024 Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania earlier this month.
 I have been receiving questions regarding pop-up tattoo and/or piercing operations. These events have been music festivals, grand openings for businesses, weddings, and special occasions at breweries, to name a few. They qualify as temporary events unless the body art facility is licensed as a mobile.
A temporary establishment is defined in the ARM as “a facility where either tattooing or body piercing or both are conducted for not more than 14 days at one location in a calendar year.” These events require the operator to submit a plan review proving they meet the provisions of the Body Art Rule. These operations cannot be tents, they must be set up in a location with non-porous, cleanable surfaces. The area where tattooing and/or piercing takes place must meet the requirements of a licensed facility’s work room with a barrier from the public and complete separation from living quarters and food/drink.
Of course, all artists should be certified in bloodborne pathogens, first aid, and general sanitation. Once plan reviews are approved, the operator and signing regulatory authority should complete the Body Art License Application. The bottom portion of the application has a spot for sanitarians to mark “Temporary” and fill in the dates of the event. The cost of the temporary license is the same as a regular license and should be sent to Gail for processing.
-Sadie
  Across
2. Leading cause of vomiting and diarrhea, and foodborne illness in the US
9. Water treatment system (2 words)
11. Motel pests (2 words)
12. Common inspection tool
Down
1. Important factor in a site evaluation (2 words)
3. Wastewater in a septic system discharges to
4. Common well water quality test
5. Acceptable sanitizer in a food service establishment
6. In pool water it protects sanitizer from the sun's ultraviolet rays (2 words)
7. Bacteria that produces dangerous toxins
8. Time and this control are important.
9. Radioactive, odorless, colorless and tasteless gas
10. Tattoos and piercings (2 words)
-Darryl
Contact Information
EHFS Staff Listing
|
Name
|
Email
|
Phone
|
| Darryl Barton |
darryl.barton@mt.gov |
(406) 444-2089 |
| Erik Leigh |
eleigh@mt.gov |
(406) 444-5306 |
| Gail Macklin |
gmacklin@mt.gov |
(406) 444-2415 |
| Jenna Fisher |
Jenna.Fisher@mt.gov |
(406) 444-0067 |
| Karenna Doctor |
karenna.doctor@mt.gov |
(406) 444-5303 |
| Kaylie Kummer |
kaylie.kummer@mt.gov |
(406) 444-2837 |
| Kira Flagstead |
kira.flagstead@mt.gov |
(406) 417-0500 |
| Sadie Overlie |
sadie.overlie@mt.gov |
(406) 444-2823 |
| Staci Evangeline |
staci.evangeline@mt.gov |
(406) 444-5309 |
|
