What We Do

We believe that a healthy community starts by creating a safe environment for our citizens to live in. We accomplish this through science-based risk assessment, policy development, monitoring and inspections, consultation, education, and enforcement of regulations designed to protect the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the places where we live, play, and work. While protecting human health is our primary objective, we also act in concert with many other agencies, programs, and organizations whose work helps to protect and enhance environmental quality.

Environmental Health provides information and/or services for Air Quality, Body Art, Child Care Facilities, Public Health Construction & Land Use reviews, Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems, Open Burning in El Paso County, Public Pools and Spas, Radon, Retail Food Establishments and Water Testing throughout El Paso County.

Community Health Assessment (CHA)

The Community Health Assessment (CHA) provides demographic and socioeconomic data about El Paso County and seeks to add context about how systems such as the built environment, access to health care, and the social determinants of health impact population health data. Some examples of the social determinants of health include: the safety of workplaces, the cleanliness of air and water, access to quality, affordable child care, access to healthy food choices, and access to safe spaces for physical activity.

Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP)

The Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) is a long-term, systematic effort that aims to address the leading health issues identified by the CHA. El Paso County collaborates with community members and cross-sector organizational leaders to prioritize leading health issues, and then creates a plan to address these issues. This strategic, five-year plan, is adaptable to the community’s changing needs and provides guidance to the health department and its partners aimed at improving the overall health and well-being of a region.

Healthy Community Collaborative (HCC)

The Healthy Community Collaborative (HCC) is a cross-sector group facilitated and supported by the El Paso County Public Health (EPCPH). HCC works alongside EPCPH to identify and tackle local health priorities. After being presented the data that was collected for the 2023 CHA, HCC and EPCPH identified the following priority health issues to address during the 2025-2029 CHIP cycle: Barriers to Accessing Care, Suicide, Drug Overdose, and Housing.

Prevention services include behavioral health, Communities That Care (CTC), injury and violence prevention, tobacco education and prevention, and youth suicide prevention.

EPCPH’s Communicable Disease program works to detect, investigate, control and prevent infectious diseases and disease outbreaks. Staff collects, analyzes and reports infectious disease data, and provides public health consultation and education for health care providers and the public.

Additionally, EPCPH’s Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) team is responsible for preparing for and responding to emergency situations. EPR develops plans for emergency responses, provides training, and collaborates with governmental partners, nonprofit organizations, and private sectors.