Review of public health workforce for a changing world

As the US is still facing complex challenges for public health, a new document published by a researcher at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health requires redefining the workforce of public health-one that goes beyond traditional limits and recognizes the growing number of professionals outside public health services.

Published in American Journal of Public Health (Ajph)The document argues that while the government remains the backbone of the provision of public health services, it is no longer sufficient to determine the workforce exclusively by occupation or employment in the Public Health Departments. For example, the mere counting of all nurses does not reveal how many people are specifically involved in public health work.

Author Heather Krasna, PhD, EDM, MS, Career and Vocational Development Associate at Columbia Mailman School proposes a cross -sectional framework that classifies the public health workforce to two levels:

• A core Labor potential, including officials of federal, state, local, racial and territorial health services.
• A broader The workforce of public health, including people between sectors and industries that spend at least 50% of their working time, providing services aligned with diseases control centers and prevention (CDC) 10 basic public health services or fundamental public health services as defined below.

The 10 basic public health services provide a public health framework for the protection and promotion of the health of all people in all communities. Fundamental Public Health Services are intended to apply specifically to government health departments and “determine a minimum package of public health capabilities and programs that cannot be jurisdiction”. These contexts could be used to evaluate which workers contribute to these services beyond the government, according to Krasna.

This innovative approach shifts the focus from work titles to the impact of the work, effectively “reverse mechanics” the definition of workforce, starting with the services delivered and identifying who delivers-independently where they work. The document emphasizes that this model allows researchers and policymakers to better understand and support the broader ecosystem of professionals who contribute to the health and well -being of the population. “

Heather Krasna, PhD, EDM, MS, Associate Dean of Career and Professional Development at Columbia Mailman School

With the embrace of this expanded definition, Krasna argues, we can evaluate whether some services provided by the basic workforce are assigned to external private partners in a way that is less cost -effective or if there are gaps in the workforce. With this definition, we can also develop more accurate evaluations of the workforce, shape more effective training programs and ensure stronger, more durable public health systems. “In fact, without more accurate evaluations, we do not have a clear understanding of who includes the public health workforce and whether basic public services can be effectively delivered during a crisis or in view of a future pandemic,” Krasna observes.