The Monterey County Health Department exists to enhance, protect, and improve the health Monterey County residents and environments. MCHD provides a wide variety of health-related services in the areas of behavioral health, clinic services, emergency management services, environmental health, public guardianship, and public health.
Program Information Organization Description
The County of Monterey Health Department Environmental Health Bureau (EHB) protects public health and the environment through education, permitting, inspection, complaint investigation, enforcement, emergency response, and community partnerships. EHB administers a variety of environmental health programs addressing food safety, housing, onsite wastewater, drinking water, wells, solid waste, hazardous materials, and other environmental conditions that may affect the health and safety of Monterey County communities.
Program Information
EHB offers internship opportunities for students interested in public health, public policy, public administration, environmental health, data analysis, community services, and related fields.
Internship assignments will vary based on current Bureau priorities, student interests, academic requirements, and supervisor availability. Students may participate in applied research, policy analysis, program evaluation, data analysis, community outreach, GIS-related projects, process improvement, emergency preparedness, or development of reports and other tools used by EHB staff and decision makers. Multi-semester students may also have an opportunity to develop a longer-term applied project or capstone aligned with an EHB program need.
Site Details
The Environmental Health Bureau is part of the County of Monterey Health Department, with internship coordination primarily through EHB’s Salinas office. Students may work with staff from one or more EHB programs and may have opportunities to participate in staff meetings, collaborate with environmental health professionals and partner agencies, review real-world program information, and contribute to projects with practical application to Monterey County communities.
The work arrangement will depend on the specific assignment. Some projects may be completed primarily in an office or remote environment, while others may offer opportunities for field observation, community engagement, or interaction with other County programs and agencies.
Additional Requirements and Considerations
Students should be dependable, organized, able to communicate professionally, and interested in learning how local government and public health programs operate. Useful skills may include research, writing, Microsoft Excel and other Microsoft Office applications, data organization and analysis, critical thinking, public speaking, GIS or mapping, policy analysis, and development of presentations or educational materials.
Specific technical or environmental health experience is not required for every assignment. EHB will provide project-specific orientation and guidance. Depending on the project, students may work with government records or other information requiring appropriate confidentiality and professional discretion. Any required County onboarding, confidentiality agreements, system access, or other administrative requirements will be completed before the student begins applicable work.
Opportunity Titles and Descriptions
1) Environmental Health, Public Policy & Program Improvement Internship
Students will support applied projects addressing environmental health programs, policies, and administrative processes. Assignments may include research, comparison of policies or regulatory approaches, review of program practices, identification of opportunities for improvement, and preparation of findings or recommendations for EHB staff. Projects may involve solid waste, food safety, housing, wastewater, water, hazardous materials, enforcement, or other environmental health programs.
2) Environmental Health Data & GIS Internship
Students will assist EHB with improving and analyzing environmental health data. Potential projects may include reviewing and standardizing complaint or program records, addresses, parcel information, and classifications; preparing datasets for geographic analysis; identifying complaint hotspots or recurring community concerns; and using GIS or other analytical tools to identify trends. Examples could include unpermitted food vending, onsite wastewater failures, illegal dumping, or other environmental health complaints.
3) Environmental Health Community Outreach & Education Internship
Students will assist with the development of public-facing environmental health information and outreach strategies. Projects may include development of educational materials, FAQs, presentations, website content, community messaging, or outreach plans addressing topics such as food safety, housing, waste, water, emergency preparedness, or other environmental health concerns.
4) Environmental Health Emergency Preparedness Internship
Students will support projects related to environmental health emergency preparedness and response. Assignments may include research, after-action review, development or updating of response procedures and resource materials, public-information tools, coordination documents, or analysis of environmental-health considerations associated with emergencies and disasters.