UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health and Penn State Cooperative Extension have received a 2001 Program of Excellence Award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service for their Swimming Pool Pesticide Applicators Training Program.

The program was one of 36 chosen nationwide to be showcased in a database that serves as a resource for cooperative extension educators and stakeholders.

The Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and the Penn State Pesticide Education Program, started the program in 1996. By participating in the training, individuals responsible for applying chlorine or chemicals to water recreation facilities or swimming pools can fulfill their state certification requirements.

Between 1996 and 2000, the program enabled more than 1,500 poolside pesticide applicators to receive their certification, while an additional 900 applicators fulfilled the continuing education requirements needed to maintain their certification. The program was offered via satellite for the first time in 2001, which expanded the training to rural areas throughout Pennsylvania. As a result, 446 pesticide applicators received training and 700 applicators met their continuing education requirements in 2001 alone -- nearly half the number that had received training in the five previous years.

The Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health, a joint effort of the Penn State College of Health and Human Development and Penn State Cooperative Extension, was established by the Pennsylvania Department of Health in 1991. Its mission is to improve the health of rural communities and their residents throughout the Commonwealth.

###

EDITORS: For more information, contact Lisa Davis, director of the Pennsylvania Office of Rural Health, at 814-863-8214 or lad3@psu.edu.