Public health workforce shortage could jeopardize terrorism preparedness USA
The report, "State Public Health Employee Worker Shortage Report: A Civil Service Recruitment and Retention Crisis," was based on a 2003 survey of senior state and territorial health officials conducted by ASTHO with the Council of State Governments and the National Association of State Personnel Executives. Key findings from the 37 responding states include that the average age of public health workers is nearly 47, retirement rates in public health can be as high as 45 percent in some states over the next five years, and job vacancy rates are as high as 20 percent in some parts of the country. The most severe shortages are occurring in the fields of nursing, epidemiology, and laboratory sciences.
"High tech facilities, laboratory equipment, and disease detection systems are crucial to protect the public's health," said ASTHO President Mary C. Selecky, Secretary, Washington State Department of Health, "but their real value hinges on the availability of experienced public health professionals who can analyze, interpret, and put to use the information they produce. Many states need additional qualified personnel and are unable to find experienced people to hire."
"The events of September 11, 2001, and the anthrax attacks brought the role and responsibility of the public health workforce in emergency response efforts to the forefront in public understanding," said ASTHO President-Elect Richard A. Raymond, MD, State Health Official in Nebraska. "We can only be prepared if we have an experienced workforce that is qualified to carry out our mission."
ASTHO Executive Director George E. Hardy, Jr., MD, MPH, said, "The ASTHO survey indicated that some state public health agencies are attempting to attract and retain employees by offering increased access to advanced education, adjusting pay and benefit scales, and offering flexible work hours and telecommuting opportunities. However, a coordinated, long-term aggressive plan to educate, recruit, and retain competent public health professionals is required."
The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials is the national nonprofit organization representing the state and territorial public health agencies of the United States, the U.S. Territories, and the District of Columbia. ASTHO's members, the chief health officials of these jurisdictions, are dedicated to formulating and influencing sound public health policy, and to assuring excellence in state-based public health practice.
A copy of the report is available on ASTHO's web site at http://www.astho.org.
Paula A. Steib, Communications Director
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
1275 K ST NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20005
202-371-9090 ext. 1638
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