Sharing environmental health services across jurisdictional boundaries.

Environmental health is a critical com­ ponent of governmental public health, as provided in state, tribal, local, and territorial jurisdictions. The environmental health services provided by each health de­ partment can vary; common examples include the following: • inspecting food establishments, • monitoring the quality of drinking and rec­ reational water, • managing solid and liquid waste, • performing vector control, and • inspecting buildings to assure compliance with environmental codes. Difficulty in finding qualified personnel (especially in small jurisdictions) coupled with challenges in paying for the cost of pro­ viding the desired services have been impor­ tant drivers for health departments to explore alternative options. One of these options is cross-jurisdictional sharing (CJS) (Madamala et al., 2014). Gianfranco Pezzino, MPH, MD Liza C. Corso, MPA Robert G. Blake, MPH, REHS Patrick Libbey