Task 8 - Select StandardsOne of the most beneficial attributes of the PACE-EH process is that it is locally driven. This is certainly the case when identifying locally appropriate indicators used to compare the environmental health status of the community against local standards. The establishment of a benchmark or standard requires the communities input in order to achieve the status that is desired by that particular community rather than a standards established at the state or federal level. EHAT used a similar exercise for establishing standards as was used for indicator identification. Using the analyzing frameworks developed in Task 6 and the indicators developed in Task 7 EHAT brainstormed ideas for locally appropriate standards. Standard identification can be subjective and the most difficult decision during this task was for each member of the subcommittee to agree upon an achievable, realistic goal or benchmark. Standards were identified for all four priority areas using the analyzing frameworks from Task 6, the indicators from Task 7 and the availability of local data. |