The importance of developing the public health workforce is demonstrated by its inclusion as a topic in the infrastructure chapter of HP 2010. Additionally, in the year 2000 both the Centers for Disease Control and the Health Resources and Services Administration hosted conferences aimed at improving the public health workforce. However, if history is a guide, far more than attention will be necessary if the United States is to address public health workforce needs. In fact, the nation even lacks an accurate census of the workforce. Estimates from 1980 until today estimate 500,000 workers but suffer from a lack of detailed information on who these workers are, where they practice, how they are prepared and how their skills are developed.
This session presents a report prepared for HRSA by the Public Health Leadership Society, the alumni organization of the CDC's Public Health Leadership Society. The report, titled "Enumerating the Public Health Workforce" marshals the arguments as to why the nation needs a better understanding of its workforce, reviews previous efforts to accomplish this objective, and offers recommendations of how it could be accomplished today.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Workforce,
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.