Thursday, April 18, 2024
4/18/2024
Guam is a territory of the United States of America and is the largest of the 15 islands of the Marianas Archipelago in the Western Pacific Region. Although Guam has a modest population of 159,358 (2010 U.S. Census), it also hosts approximately 1.5 million tourists yearly. It is comprised of a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual community: 37% indigenous Chamorros, 26% Filipinos, 7% Caucasians, 6% Asians (Japan, Korea, China), and the rest from other ethnic groups. Additionally, Guam is a highly strategic island for the U.S. military and harbors the U.S. Naval Base Guam and the Andersen Air Force Base. It is also a key partner for the U.S. and for the other U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands (American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, and Republic of Marshall Islands). Guam’s community is highly reliant on water vending and manufacturing facilities for their daily drinking water needs due to the notion that it is safer to drink compared to tap water. However, little is known about the quality of these waters. In addition, owing to its location in what is called the “Typhoon Alley,” Guam is prone to severe weather events, which often impacts the island’s water sources. The Division of Environmental Health (DEH) is one of five divisions of the Department of Public Health and Social Services (DPHSS) and is tasked to oversee the implementation of over 20 environmental health mandates in Guam. These include conducting sanitation inspections of thousands of health-regulated establishments, such as water vending facilities and public swimming pools. In line with DEH’s mission to "serve and protect the people of Guam from environmental hazards…through education and the implementation of governing laws designed to prevent injuries, diseases, disabilities. and deaths," DEH is requesting funding from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via the Environmental Health Capacity (EHC) grant (CDC-RFA-EH20-2005) to implement programs for Components A, B, and C of the said grant. For Component A, DEH aims to prevent and/or minimize the risk of waterborne illnesses in the community by establishing a baseline data of the water quality of water vending and manufacturing facilities on Guam, plan interventions to address identified hazards, and assess the effectiveness of the interventions. Funding in the amount of $33,730. is requested to collect and analyze water samples from 50 water vending and manufacturing facilities on island for microbiological testing and create an electronic platform to make data easily accessible by the public. In addition, DEH is seeking funding in the amount of $49,093 for Component B of the grant with the objective of establishing baseline data for pool water quality parameters and providing hands-on pool inspector training to aid in the implementation of the recently adopted Rules and Regulations for Public Swimming Pools, which is based on the Model Aquatic Health Code. At the end of the first year, environmental health (EH) staff will enhance their pool inspection skills and be better equipped with the data and tools to prevent and/or reduce the incidence of waterborne illnesses and injuries. Finally, DEH is proposing to use the amount of $420,198 from Component C of this grant to enhance capability to respond to disasters by providing trainings to Guam EH staff and those of the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands on disaster response and management, the mechanics and inspections of water vending facilities, and the ability to attain national certification with the Pool and Hot Tub Alliance as Certified Pool/ Spa Operators and Certified Pool Inspectors. In addition, DEH plans to build upon the interventions established in Component A of this proposal and expand the collection of water quality data to the 68 remaining water vending facilities not included in Component A
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
