Public health transformation<\/a> requires reimagining and developing a common vision to ensure the mindsets, capacity, resources, and workforce necessary to provide equitable Foundational Public Health Services<\/a> (FPHS) and 10 Essential Public Health Services<\/a> (EPHS), to advance health, wellbeing, and equity. It occurs through a fundamental shift in the way a public health system(s) is structured, functions and interacts through continuous quality improvement, innovation, partnerships, community-led efforts, and systems change.<\/span><\/p>\n Simply put, it requires sustaining what is working, building on what can be improved, and reimagining what could be so that all people and communities can thrive[i]<\/a>.<\/p>\n Public health transformation is reliant on a public health workforce that looks different than the past \u2013 we must do things differently if we want an infrastructure that facilitates improved health outcomes for all. Health departments must implement strategies to address a wide range of workforce development, retention, and recruitment challenges. Members of the 21st Century Learning Community<\/a> (21C) shared how they are transforming their governmental public health workforce and provided examples of what strategic implementation looks like in their state.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> While each state and its health departments are unique, some trends have emerged in conversations and practice to attract and retain a workforce that is prepared to meet current and future needs.<\/span><\/p>\n All states are operating within a public health system that has room for improvement; through transformation, states are intentionally and strategically shifting how their public health system operates and serves their community.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> Workforce development, retention, and recruitment are all separate yet interrelated workforce areas; as such, it is important to identify specific strategies for each and to explore how they do, or do not, relate to each other. Workforce policies and practices often outlast the workforce that developed them, requiring a forward-thinking approach to prepare for the future public health workforce.<\/p>\n The strategies below are not exhaustive and may cross workforce areas. We encourage health departments to utilize innovation and quality improvement processes, like Lean principles, to develop additional strategies. If your health department has a new strategy to share, please email info@phaboard.org.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>Setting the Stage: Public Health Systems Transformation Requires a Transformed Workforce<\/h1><\/span>
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Strategies to Transform the Public Health Workforce<\/h1><\/span>