ERCs
Long-Standing
Success Still Threatened
We survived again to fight for FY14! The President's proposed FY14 budget, beginning October 1 2013, terminates the ERC program nationwide. All NIOSH support of the academic programs and continuing education efforts will cease at the University of Cincinnati July 2014, and the other ERCs, if this part of his proposed budget is passed.
I. What's New
April 18, 2013
Research and innovation by ERC faculty reduces health care cost and creates jobs
ERC faculty member, Dr. Bhattacharya, in collaboration with Dr. Nelson Watts, MD, a UC College of Medicine faculty, developed a non-invasive tool for early detection of skeletal disorders. The innovation has resulted in a startup company with three employees (including one from the ERC graduates).
Dr. Bhattacharya was honored by 2013 Emerging Entrepreneur Award by University of Cincinnati. See the full story at:
http://www.healthnews.uc.edu/news/?/22337/
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II. Background
In 1970, the following was enacted by Congress:
"The
secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, after consultation with the
Secretary and with other appropriate Federal Departments and agencies
shall
conduct, directly or by grants or contracts (1) educational programs to
provide
an adequate supply of qualified personnel to carry out the purpose of
this Act,
and (2) informational programs..."
Section
21(a), PL91-956
This language
resulted in stronger and new programs in occupational safety and health
across
the country. Today, 17 ERCs are funded by the NIOSH in accordance with
this
legislative mandate.
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III. University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati was in the first
group of schools funded as ERCs in 1977, building on established
programs in the Department of Environmental Health. Currently, the UC
ERC
provides on-campus graduate education in the four core disciplines
(Occupational Health Nursing, Occupational Hygiene, Occupational
Medicine Residency, Occupational Safety and Health Engineering), two
allied programs (Biomonitoring and Hazardous Substances) and Continuing
Education for practitioners.
The ERC brings together faculty and students in
the Colleges of Engineering and Applied Science, Medicine and Nursing.
Graduates strive daily to reduce the toll of
injury and illness on US workers
4,547 workplace fatalities per year, or more than 12 each day*
3.1 million recordable cases of injury and illnesses per year, or 8,393 each day*
By injury category, the top three*:
933,200 cases involved sprains/strains/tears
185,270 cases involved back injury
208,470 cases involved a fall
This burden costs industry and citizens $4.8 billion each week**
*Source: 2010, www.bls.gov, **Source: The Milbank Quarterly
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IV. Details on President’s FY14 Budget
The President’s FY14 budget was released on April 10, 2013. The budget includes $272 million for Occupational Safety and Health programs, $53 million below FY 2012. The Budget continues targeted reductions including termination of the Education and Research Centers and the Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing Program within the National Occupational Research Agenda, see
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2014/assets/ccs.pdf
This time, there was no specific justification. The justification and rebuttal for the FY12 and FY13 budget cycles can be found below in section IX. Archives.
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V. Testimonials
ERC students collaborate to reduce heat stress among firefighters
Laboratory
Safety Training for Cincinnati Public Schools
Cincinnati
Health Department - Working with the community in Health Impact
Assessment
Preventing
Injury through Design--a 2011 Occupational Safety and Health
Engineering Graduate applies skills immediately
Cincinnati
Health Department: Growing Capacity in a Learning Environment
Cincinnati
School Partnership: children learn about what is monitored in outdoor
air.
Occupational
Hygiene 2010 graduate saves employer $93,000 in first year
Occupational
Hygiene and Occupational Medicine Residency graduates team up to reduce
exposures and costs at production facility.
Occupational
Medicine Residents Improve Business, Reduce Costs.
Occupational
Safety Engineering Principles Save Dollars for Industry, US..
Occupational
Hygiene Graduate Get Job Quickly and Reduce Costs.
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VI. What can I Do?
Participate!
Write to Senators and Representatives:
- Use the 'fax' template to write to decision makers who lead the appropriation committees in the House and Senate. Fax is best, as mailed communications are delayed due to screeing procedures. For letter information, fax number and text to edit/personalize click here. This can be used by any stakeholder (current student, graduate, employer, ERC friend) to write to these decision makers.
- If your Representative and/or Senator(s) have shown their support by signing the “Dear Colleague” letter (see section VII below), send them a Thank you note.
- For those Senators and Representatives, who did not sign the “Dear Colleague” letter: let them know that you support funding at no less than the FY12 level, use www.contactingthecongress.org to send electronic messages. Sample text to edit/personalize is shown for ERC graduates, current students, those who hired a graduate and ERC friends. Reducing costs and creating jobs are the most important themes to stress in these letters. Specific examples from your experience personalize the note. Please select the appropriate letter, personalize and send.
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VII. What Else is the ERC Doing?
Dear Colleague letters sent to Senate and House Appropriation subcommittees.
Please read the listing of Senators below to identify if both or one of yours signed the letter to Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Tom Harkin and Ranking Member Jerry Moran supporting funding NIOSH ERCs and Agriculture centers for FY14. If listed, please send a brief 'thank you' through his/her website or www.contactingthecongress.org. Kettering Fellows live in most of the states shown...so please take the time to write!
1. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
2. Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
3. William Cowan (D-MA)
4. Al Franken (D-MN)
5. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
6. Angus King (I-ME)
7. Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
8. Joe Manchin (D-WV)
9. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)
10. Bernard Sanders (I-VT)
11. Charles Schumer (D-NY)
12. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
13. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
14. Ron Wyden (D-OR)
Ohio Senator Brown signed, for which we are most greatful!
Please read the listing of Representatives below to identify if both or one of yours signed the letter to Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Jack Kingston and Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro supporting funding NIOSH ERCs and Agriculture centers for FY14. If listed, please send a brief 'thank you' through his/her website or www.contactingthecongress.org. Kettering Fellows live in most of the states shown...so please take the time to write!
- Bruce Braley (D-IA)
- Kathy Castor (D-FL)
- John Conyers (D-MI)
- Judy Chu (D-CA)
5. Ann Kuster (D-NH)
6. Diana DeGette (D-CO)
7. Donna Edwards (D-MD)
8. Keith Ellison (D-MN)
9. John Garamendi (D-CA)
10. Chris Gibson (R-NY)
11. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM)
12. Richard Hanna (R-NY)
13. Jared Huffman (D-CA)
14. Dave Loebsack (D-IA)
15. Doris Matsui (D-CA)
16. George Miller (D-CA)
17. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)
18. Bill Owens (D-NY)
- Frank Pallone (D-NJ)
- Steve Pearce (R-NM)
- Ed Perlmutter (D-CO)
22. Jared Polis (D-CO)
23. Janice Schakowsky (D-IL)
24. Louise Slaughter (D-NY)
25. Jackie Speier (D-CA)
26. Mike Thompson (D-CA)
27. John Tierney (D-MA)
28. Paul Tonko (D-NY)
29. Peter Welch (D-VT)
30. Don Young (R-AK)
Friends of NIOSH letter
Friends of NIOSH, a group of organizations supporting NIOSH activities, has written to both the House and Senate and the signatures are being finalized.
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April 6th, 2012
Section VII. Senators and the Friends of NIOSH have sent letters of support for including the ERCs in the budget to Appropriations Subcommittees. See the list of signers, below, and send a note!
VIII. Past Updates
January 3, 2013
A new report shows that the annual cost of injuries and fatalities reaches nearly $1 billion annually in California alone.
The reports are posted at: http://www.citizen.org/price-of-inaction-california-construction-safety-report
View older updates here.
December 14, 2012
New report by UC Davis economist J.Paul Leigh, PhD estimates the medical
and productivity costs of occupational injuries and illnesses among low-wage
workers exceeds $39 billion. A companion policy brief by Celeste Monforton,
DrPH, MPH and Liz Borkowski of the George Washington University School of
Public Health summarizes Leigh's analysis and explains 'why it matters.'
The reports are posted at: http://defendingscience.org/low-wage-workers
November 20th, 2012
Team of ERC students has worked on assessing early signs of heat stress in firefighters. Fire Chief William A. Jetter describes the benefits of the work to firefighters in a testimonial here.
View the testimonial here.
The project was featured in local news on Channel 5:
http://www.wlwt.com/news/health/UC-study-hopes-to-help-save-firefighters-lives/-/9837732/17483536/-/13jiopq/-/index.html”
May 30th, 2012
OSHA-an agency that does not kill jobs
Using real data and recognized scientific methods, a team investigating the long-term impact of random OSHA inspections on workplaces has shown that an inspection results in:
- 9.4% drop in workplace injury claims
- 26% saving on workers' comp costs
These two items equal an average saving of about $355,000. The California experience shows no evidence that OSHA killed jobs and if the savings are reinvested, could actually be job creating.
The abstract, complete report and supplemental materials are found in the May 18 issue of Science, http://www.sciencemag.org (almost at the end of the site): Randomized Government Safety Inspections Reduce Worker Injuries with No Detectable Job Loss, Levine DI, Toffel MW, Johnson MS.
See comments from the research team and others in the Harvard Business School weekly newsletter http://hbwsk.hbs.edu; commentary from OSHA is shown at http://www.osha.gov
March 22nd, 2012
Section VII: House of Representatives support for including the ERCs in the budget has been sent to the Appropriations Subcommittee. See list of signers and send a thank you if yours is listed.
March 15th, 2012
Section III: Statistics for workplace injury and illness have been updated.
Section IV: The web-site for contacting the congress has been corrected: www.contactingthecongress.org
February 5th, 2012
Section VI:
Letters are posted. Please write to support the ERCs.
January 23rd
2012
Section IV:
A Rebuttal is posted to refute the FY13 ERC termination proposed by the
President
Section V:
What can I do? participate in the FY13 plan
Section VII:
What the ERC will do? with your help, generate more success stories,
get ready for lame duck
Section IX:
Archives. New section captures FY12 information
January 9th, 2012
Section: What Else is the ERC Doing?
Informing the OMB of the value of ERCs was the
focus of substantial effort in November and December. We now posting
three letters: one from three ERC directors
who met with the OMB analyst responsible for ERC evaluation, one from
the House
to OMB Director Lew, and one from the Senate to OMB
Director Lew. those that represent you. See What Else is the ERC
Doing?, below, for a typed listing of House and Senate signers, and our
request
January 3rd, 2012
Section: Testimonials
ERC students helped in the development of
Laboratory Safety Training for Cincinnati Public Schools. Cynthia
Eghbalnia, the Environmental Health and Safety Coordinator of
Cincinnati Public Schools, describes the project in the testimonial here.
November 18th, 2011
Section: Testimonials
A 2011 graduate of the Occupational and
Environmental Hygiene program conducted the baseline
evaluation related to Health Impact Assessment of I-75 construction.
Health Commissioner Dr. Noble Maseru, City of Cincinnati, describes the
benefits of this work to the community in a testimonial here.
November 10th, 2011
Section: Testimonials
A 2011 graduate of the Occupational Safety and
Health Engineering program has applied the knowledge and skills learned
as an ERC student in the Occupational Safety and Health Engineering
program to reduce hazards through better machine design. Micheal
Martin, MS, describes his work as co-chairman of the Product Safety
Committee in a Testimonial here.
November 3rd, 2011
Westat, a private survey research firm, has completed a national
assessment of the health and safety workforce needs. Overall, employers
project hiring twice as many folks in the next five years than will
graduate from academic programs. We are a bit better off in the
Midwest, where demand just about balances output--but of course
graduates do move to other regions of the US or abroad. A summary is
shown here
and the full report can be viewed at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/oshworkforce/pdfs/NASHW_Final_Report.pdf.
October 26th, 2011
The second of our testimonials for partnerships is
posted here. The
Cincinnati Heath Department is an important partner with the ERC, and
one example is shown for a valued experience of Occupational Health
Nursing graduate Diane Busch James.
October 10th 2011
Section: Testimonials
The first in a new series of descriptions of ERC
partnerships with Cincinnati Public Schools and the Cincinnati Health
Department is shown. These all involve students, and provide a
substantial learning experience while helping to meet unmet need in
Cincinnati. In this first fact sheet, Chris Sparks (HSAT student) is
shown interacting with North Avondale Montessori students during a
discussion and demonstration of ambient air monitoring.
July 29th 2011
Section: A Rebuttal
Friends of NIOSH letters for FY12 Budget Process
view
Section: Testimonials
2010 Occupational Hygiene Graduate Saves Employer
$93,000 in First Year
view
Section: What Can I Do
AIHA Point and Counter-Point--read and then weigh
in by expressing an opinion on the AIHA blog
view
July 13th 2011
New testimonial: Medicine and Hygiene Team Saves $1M Annually For
Company...
You can view it here.
June 27th 2011
New Section: Testimonials.
June 17th 2011
In 'A Rebuttal...'
Sample letters from APHA
ASSE links to important statements supporting the
Agriculture Grants program
In 'What Can I Do?'
Follow-up editable letter
May 20th 2011
In ‘A Rebuttal….’
The Human Factors and Ergonomics
Society has issued a strong rebuttal, authored by an ERC director (Dr.
Tom Bernard) and two ERC faculty (Drs. David Rempel and our own Kermit
Davis).
In ‘What Can I Do?’
New editable letter added: For those
not able to participate in the e-mail blast from AIHce, a new letter is
posted to use upon return from AIHce. This can be modified for use at
any other meeting, such as ASSE coming up soon in Chicago.
May 2nd, 2011
In 'A Rebuttal...'
--letter from two Senators to OMB
In 'What Can I Do?'
--links to Senate and House vote on
budget
April 13th, 2011
In ‘What Can I Do?’
--updated listing of alumni and
friends support
April 8th, 2011
March 30th, 2011
March 24th, 2011
In ‘What Can I Do?’
-check out new letter writers
-list of businesses benefiting from ERCs has grown to 46 pages (each
with three columns!), and will be updated again
-Hill Rom partnership added—building infrastructure and creating jobs
Friends of NIOSH letter
The final letter will be posted here
next week. We thank our many friends in organizations that have
signed-on.
March 17th, 2011
In 'A Rebuttal...'
The American Public Health
Association has added a rebuttal and AIHA is supporting the rebuttal
language.
In 'What Can I Do?'
-New editable letters have been added
Field Project Site personnel and the Employer.
-More letters documention the value of the ERC have been written. This
week we are adding the feature of underlining additions to the list.
Another activity:
The Friends of NIOSH, a group of
organizations that value NIOSH products is asking groups to sign-on in
support. We are very pleased that the University of Cincinnati has
agreed to be included in the growing list of NIOSH supporters. The
letter will be posted on this webpage when complete. Contact us if you
represent an organization that would consider being included.
March 9th, 2011
See above for information about the AgFF
Centers, and the LONG list of businesses around the country served by
the ERCs.
New photos are shown at the side. An occupational hygiene and a
hazardous substance student are demonstrating air monitoring equipment
at a Brownfields training at the ICWUC in Cincinnati.
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IX. Archives
FY13 - What Else is the ERC Doing?
Please read the listing of Senators below, sorted by state, to identify if both or one of yours signed the letter to Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Tom Harkin and Ranking Member Richard Shelby supporting funding NIOSH ERCs and AFFs for FY13. If listed, please send a brief 'thank you' through his/her website or www.contactingthecongress.org. Kettering Fellows live in most of the states shown...so please take the time to write!
-
CA: Barbara Boxer
-
NH: Jeanne Shaheen
-
NJ: Robert Menendez
-
NM: Jeff Bingaman,
Tom Udall
-
NY: Kirsten Gillibrand,
Charles Schumer
-
OR: Jeff Merkley,
Ron Wyden
-
WI: Herb Kohl
-
WV: Jay Rockefeller
-
VT: Patrick Leahy,
Bernard Sanders
Ohio had no signers on this letter (Senator Brown is on the committee and cannot write to himself).
Friends of NIOSH, a group of organizations supporting NIOSH activities, has written to both the House and Senate. We are very pleased to see so many groups included that are related to the UC ERC. These include the Department, our three student groups and the local AIHA section, Pilot Research Program participating universities (departments at Central State, Eastern Kentucky, Murray State, Ohio University, Purdue, University of Kentucky ), local partners (Alliance for Leadership and Interconnection, Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center, Greater Cincinnati Occupational Health Center, Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council), ERC Advisory Board affiliates (Carroll County Memorial Hospital, Sycamore Township EMS & Fire Department), and national unions that we have worked with (IAFF, ICWUC/UFCW, TWU,Steelworkers). And the national professional organizations are very prominent in the listing: AAOHN, ACOEM, ACGIH, AIHA, ANA, APHA, ASSE, ATS, AOHP, HFES, NSC.
Hats off to each of you who helped get the signers; thank leadership of these groups, when you can.
---
Please read the listing below, sorted by state, to identify if your representative signed the letter to Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Rehberg and Ranking Member DeLauro supporting funding NIOSH ERCs and AFFs for FY13. If one of them represents you, please send a brief 'thank you' through his/her website or www.contactingthecongress.com. DC-dwellers, note that Eleanor Holmes Norton joined the supporters this year.
Ohio signers are led by Congressman Chabot of the first district, for which we are most grateful! Dennis Kucinich and Betty Sutton represent voters in the northern part of Ohio. (Ohio representatives Kaptur, Austria and LaTourette are members of the committee the letter is sent to, and therefore do not sign.)
OH: Steve Chabot, Dennis Kucinich, Betty Sutton
AK: Don Young
CA: Judy Chu, Doris Matsui, George Miller, Linda Sanchez, Loretta Sanchez, Jackie
Speier, Mike Thompson, Henry Waxman, Lynn Woolsey
CO: Diana DeGette, Jared Polis
CT: Joe Courtney
DC: Eleanor Holmes Norton
FL: Kathy Castor, Frederica Wilson
IA: Bruce Braley, Dave Loebsack
IL: Danny Davis, Janice Schakowsky
MA: Barney Frank
MI: John Conyers
MN: Keith Ellison
NE: Jeff Fortenberry
NJ: Frank Pallone
NY: Tim Bishop, Chris Gibson, Richard Hanna, Maurice Hinchey, Steve Israel, Carolyn Maloney, Bill Owens, Paul Tonko, Louise Slaughter,
VT: Peter Welch
In mid-February, ERC directors discussed plans for
the next few months, and for the anticipated lame duck session
following the elections in November. This Spring, we will continue to
share testimonials with decision makers, and gather some to have in
reserve for mid-November. These will be posted to the website as they
are developed. Your help is needed to create these.
46 pages! That’s the
length of the listing of businesses served by the 17 ERCs. Check it out here!
NIOSH has posted this list at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/oep/cedirlst.html
Employers benefit directly from the student course
work
Projects Result in Workplace Changes
Graduates Get Jobs
Employees Seek Continuing Education
We are also supporting the Agriculture, Forestry
and Fishing Centers supported by NIOSH; these were also terminated in
the President’s proposed budget. These centers serve businesses with
the highest rates of injury in the country. Read more about them here.
The rebuttal of the justification is shown here.
We are continuing our usual busy ERC schedule,
including interdisciplinary trips as
shown at www.eh.uc.edu/erc/blog/
FY13 - What Else is the ERC Doing?
Please read the listing of Senators below, sorted by state, to identify if both or one of yours signed the letter to Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Tom Harkin and Ranking Member Richard Shelby supporting funding NIOSH ERCs and AFFs for FY13. If listed, please send a brief 'thank you' through his/her website or www.contactingthecongress.org. Kettering Fellows live in most of the states shown...so please take the time to write!
-
CA: Barbara Boxer
-
NH: Jeanne Shaheen
-
NJ: Robert Menendez
-
NM: Jeff Bingaman,
Tom Udall
-
NY: Kirsten Gillibrand,
Charles Schumer
-
OR: Jeff Merkley,
Ron Wyden
-
WI: Herb Kohl
-
WV: Jay Rockefeller
-
VT: Patrick Leahy,
Bernard Sanders
Ohio had no signers on this letter (Senator Brown is on the committee and cannot write to himself).
Friends of NIOSH, a group of organizations supporting NIOSH activities, has written to both the House and Senate. We are very pleased to see so many groups included that are related to the UC ERC. These include the Department, our three student groups and the local AIHA section, Pilot Research Program participating universities (departments at Central State, Eastern Kentucky, Murray State, Ohio University, Purdue, University of Kentucky ), local partners (Alliance for Leadership and Interconnection, Cincinnati Interfaith Workers Center, Greater Cincinnati Occupational Health Center, Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council), ERC Advisory Board affiliates (Carroll County Memorial Hospital, Sycamore Township EMS & Fire Department), and national unions that we have worked with (IAFF, ICWUC/UFCW, TWU,Steelworkers). And the national professional organizations are very prominent in the listing: AAOHN, ACOEM, ACGIH, AIHA, ANA, APHA, ASSE, ATS, AOHP, HFES, NSC.
Hats off to each of you who helped get the signers; thank leadership of these groups, when you can.
---
Please read the listing below, sorted by state, to identify if your representative signed the letter to Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Rehberg and Ranking Member DeLauro supporting funding NIOSH ERCs and AFFs for FY13. If one of them represents you, please send a brief 'thank you' through his/her website or www.contactingthecongress.com. DC-dwellers, note that Eleanor Holmes Norton joined the supporters this year.
Ohio signers are led by Congressman Chabot of the first district, for which we are most grateful! Dennis Kucinich and Betty Sutton represent voters in the northern part of Ohio. (Ohio representatives Kaptur, Austria and LaTourette are members of the committee the letter is sent to, and therefore do not sign.)
OH: Steve Chabot, Dennis Kucinich, Betty Sutton
AK: Don Young
CA: Judy Chu, Doris Matsui, George Miller, Linda Sanchez, Loretta Sanchez, Jackie
Speier, Mike Thompson, Henry Waxman, Lynn Woolsey
CO: Diana DeGette, Jared Polis
CT: Joe Courtney
DC: Eleanor Holmes Norton
FL: Kathy Castor, Frederica Wilson
IA: Bruce Braley, Dave Loebsack
IL: Danny Davis, Janice Schakowsky
MA: Barney Frank
MI: John Conyers
MN: Keith Ellison
NE: Jeff Fortenberry
NJ: Frank Pallone
NY: Tim Bishop, Chris Gibson, Richard Hanna, Maurice Hinchey, Steve Israel, Carolyn Maloney, Bill Owens, Paul Tonko, Louise Slaughter,
VT: Peter Welch
In mid-February, ERC directors discussed plans for
the next few months, and for the anticipated lame duck session
following the elections in November. This Spring, we will continue to
share testimonials with decision makers, and gather some to have in
reserve for mid-November. These will be posted to the website as they
are developed. Your help is needed to create these.
46 pages! That’s the
length of the listing of businesses served by the 17 ERCs. Check it out here!
NIOSH has posted this list at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/oep/cedirlst.html
Employers benefit directly from the student course
work
Projects Result in Workplace Changes
Graduates Get Jobs
Employees Seek Continuing Education
We are also supporting the Agriculture, Forestry
and Fishing Centers supported by NIOSH; these were also terminated in
the President’s proposed budget. These centers serve businesses with
the highest rates of injury in the country. Read more about them here.
The rebuttal of the justification is shown here.
We are continuing our usual busy ERC schedule,
including interdisciplinary trips as
shown at www.eh.uc.edu/erc/blog
FY13 - What Can I Do?
Participate!
Letter templates are now available. Two types are
provided:
-
Use the 'fax' template to write to decision
makers who lead the appropriation committees in the House and Senate.
Fax is best, as mailed communications are delayed due to screeing
procedures. For letter information, fax number and text to
edit/personalize click here.
This can be used by any stakeholder (current student, graduate,
employer, ERC friend) to write to these decision makers.
-
To let your two Senators and your one
Representative know that you support funding at no less than the FY12
level, use www.contactingthecongress.org to send an electronic messages. Sample text to edit/personalize is
shown for ERC graduates, current
students, those who hired
a graduate and ERC friends.
Reducing costs and creating jobs are the most important themes to
stress in these letters. Specific examples from your experience
peronalize the note. Please select the appropriate letter, personalize
and send.
These templates include support for both the ERC
and the AFFs. If you do not have enough information to feel comfortable
supporting the AFFs, edit those sentences out of the text.
Please provide both types of communication: fax
the appropriations committee leaders; e-mail your Senators and
Representative.
Read the testimonials in Sections V (above) and
VII (below). Can you provide one showing that your professional
activities
have saved money or created jobs? We will follow-up soon.
To provide information to the White House, Click http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
Add comments to the Facebook and our Twitter pages. Tweet @uc_erceoh
FY13 - A Rebuttal Has Been Prepared to Balance the
FY13 President's Justification
The President's budget was released on February
13, and the ERCs are still on the Termination List (click here).
But the reason given is much shorter this year: occupational health and
safety is not a CDC priority. The same reason is given for termination
of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Centers. In many aspects, this
is easier to counter:
1. Occupational injury and illness costs the US
economy $250 Billion annually or $4.8 Billion each week (click for brief;
click for methods/summary).
This total is second only to
cardiovascular health care costs more than cancer, diabetes, stroke or
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Only 25% of occupational injury
and illness costs are paid by Workers Compensation 75% of the cost are
borne by the worker, his/her family and society.
This new report supplements the prior estimate by
Liberty Mutual that the cost of serious injuries alone was $50 Billion
annually or about $1 Billion weekly.
2. There is shortage of professionals being
trained nationwide (Westat
report, late 2011)
These two data-driven reports support the
message that ERC graduates are needed and help employers save money by
reducing the risk of exposures to hazards and decrease the time away
from work through improved treatment. These dollars can be used to
create jobs!
Occupational injury and illness is a priority--for
workers and the economy.
Our mission is defined: convince decision makers
it is a priority for the economy.
We have archived the FY12 budget documents, below
in a new section, IX. Archives
FY12 - A Rebuttal Has Been Prepared to Balance
the FY12 President's Justification
The rationale presented in the President’s budget,
"The Kill Language", has been refuted by facts assembled collectively
by the ERCs.
Main Points of the Rebuttal:
The need has not been met (hence the daily
toll)
Trainees are tracked (ERCs track careers of
graduates for NIOSH)
NIOSH does not overlap OSHA (research/education
vs enforcement)
ERCs would not be fully funded by other sources
(e.g., state funds)
Private sector funds could not fill the gap
Other CDC programs are not duplicative (who
else trains professionals?)
See the full text of the rebuttal
here
Data from a private survey research firm shows
that the need in the next five years is not met by educational
instutions across the US. Employers want to hire 25,000 into the health
and safety workforce while about 13,000 will graduate. The
need is not met. A summary and link to the report are here.
Other organizations have also supplied
rebuttals or support the ERC rebuttal:
The ERCs have also prepared a justification for
continued funding here.
The Friends of NIOSH wrote letters to the House and Senate
subcommittee leadership earlier in the month to support NIOSH, the ERCs
and AFFs in the FY12 budget discussion. With a total of 113 groups
signed on, we represented a wide range of educational, labor, industry,
and advocacy groups. Thanks to all for supporting this important use of
federal funds.
The ASSE signed on to the Friends letter for the earlier FY11 budget
and the upcoming FY12 budget. The organizational letter of suport can
viewed here.
Senators George Miller and Patty Murray have
written to the OMB with a rebuttal to the language used to justify the
Termination; the full letter is shown here.
The American Public Health Association has posted
sample letters here.
We thank ASSE for its continued support or the
ERCs and the AgFFs. They have forwarded two very strong letters about
the fishing industry in the Pacific Northwest to us, and we share them
here:
Seattle Times - An article that
credits the program with lowering the death rates of fishers in Alaska
Pacific Fishing - A joint press
release from the Alaska Marine Safety Education Association and The
Northeast Center for Agriculural Safety and Health .
FY12 - What Can I Do?
Participate! A debate is forming from opposing
views published in the Synergist, a publication of
AIHA. Dr. Steve Lacey of the University of Illinois at Chicago ERC and
a member of the AIHA Board of Director authored strong support of the
ERCs in the May Issue. A
response advocating the benefits of termination the ERCs followed in
June/July and is shown at aihasynergist-digital.org.
One ERC has already made a response.
Read both sides and comment on the AIHA
blog. Note: As of July 28th 2011, only
AIHA members were pimmted to post comments, but that is being worked
on. Early next week the new changes should take effect.
Write to the members of your congressional
delegation (see www.contactingthecongress.org),
especially if they are on the Appropriations Committee or the LHHS
subcommittee of Appropriations. Membership of the full House and Senate
Appropriations Committee and the LHHS subcommittees are shown here.
A personalizable letter for supporters in various sectors can be
downloaded below.
Editable Letters:
See how your decision makers voted on the FY11
Budget: Senate
House
FY12 - What Else is the ERC Doing?
With the FY13 budget under development, in November, UC ERC Director
Carol Rice and colleagues from Harvard and University of Illinios at
Chicago met with Tricia Bixby, the OMB analyst who evaluates the ERC
budget line. We provided documentation regarding the impact/value of
the work you all do to support business growth and job development. A
followup letter was sent, and is shown here.
Briefly the letter details the continuing need for OH&S
professionals, alignment with the CDC mission, integration of NIOSH
into the HHS Environmental Justice Strategy (which UC also commented on
directly to HHS), reasons why there is not overlap with other agencies,
consequences of eliminating ERCs, other institutional training grants
at CDC, and unfortunate use of information on an independent website.
Concurrently, House
and Senate
sign-on letters were developed to urge OMB Director Lew to include ERCs
in the FY13 budget. We are very pleased that two Ohioans signed the
House letter: Representatives Steve Chabot of Cincinnati and Dennis
Kuchinich of Cleveland. Senator Sharrod Brown signed the Senate letter,
which is much appreciated.
So that you can send a brief thank-you message (click on www.contactingthecongress.org)
to any of the signers who represents you, the full listing is typed
below alphabetically and with the state shown:
Impact of the
ERC is being documented; specifically,
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No Federal dollars were expended in creation of
this site.
