The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) Office of Health Data and Research (OHDR) proposes the development of a Fundamental Program type Occupational Health Surveillance (OHS) Program. This program will collaborate with internal and external partners to execute programmatic goals: (1) compile, analyze, and interpret occupational health data for 21 OHI's, (2) identify work-related injury, illness, and exposure trends, 3) develop and implement program priorities, and 4) develop recommendations, and outreach activities throughout Mississippi (MS). The program will collaborate with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) to produce and disseminate data on the extent of the occupational burden. Surveillance data will be presented in audience-specific forms and will contain information on trends, emerging issues, risk, and worker populations. The information will be used to make strides in occupational health surveillance by: (1) raising public awareness of occupational risks and exposures, (2) educating workers, employers, and health care providers, ensuring that the underserved populations of MS are reached, (3) collaborating with other state and local programs to integrate public health activity, and (4) targeting intervention activities, prevention and policy guidance. The MSDH OHS Program will make efforts to develop and explore new, state-specific data sources in collaboration with state and/or local data stewards and strategic partners. Developing new data sources will enhance the MSDH OHS Program, creating a comprehensive data set that increases knowledge and understanding of the true burden of occupational risks among Mississippians. It is expected that the implementation of the OHS Program will allow public health entities to develop and deliver sustainable, informed, targeted outreach and prevention activities.
The purpose of the MSDH OHS Program is to establish and maintain an occupational health surveillance system for the state of MS that will identify and track workplace health risks, safety, exposures, and health effects. The program will utilize these data to increase understanding of how the workplace impacts the health and lives of Mississippians, and develop preventive, outreach activities and policy change.
