By employing evidence-based methods, harm reduction seeks to lessen the negative health and social consequences associated with substance use. As harm reduction services continue to expand without the need for professional certification, there remains considerable variation in how the workforce is perceived and trained in harm reduction principles and practices. This article explores the harm…
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic worsened mental health conditions due to sudden social distancing restrictions, prolonged isolation, and increased disruptions in mental health and substance use treatment and support services. Peer support specialists play a crucial role in helping individuals with mental health and substance use challenges explore various pathways to recovery. These services…
Community health workers (CHWs) have critical importance in health departments as they often share the same cultural background (ethnicity and language), socioeconomic status, and life experiences as members of underserved communities. This shared culture increases the level of trust between the community and health department. However, as a professional group, CHWs face several challenges related…
The local, state, and Tribal government public health workforce is the backbone of the US public health infrastructure, providing services crucial to health, safety, and national biosecurity. To determine whether the workforce can provide needed services, we must understand how many individuals are in this workforce, what they do, how much they get paid, and…
Since 1883, the United States has had civil service laws in place to prevent cronyism and insulate public employees from political influence. Critics argue that such laws impose an undue burden on managers with regard to hiring and dismissing employees. Given that governmental public health agencies have experienced longstanding challenges in recruiting individuals at the…
Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) have recently experienced 2 major disruptions impacting staffing: 1) the Medicare payment reform in October 2019, which significantly altered reimbursement incentives for post-acute stays, and 2) the subsequent COVID-19 pandemic. Extensive research has been conducted on how these events have affected nurse staffing in SNFs, including registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical…
Nurses have been the backbone of the US governmental public health system, constituting the largest professional group within the public health workforce. However, while the overall governmental public health workforce has seen a significant decrease in size, the public health nursing (PHN) workforce has been particularly affected. This article addresses gaps in understanding the public…
Harm reduction, an evidence-based approach that mitigates the effects of substance use through prevention, treatment, and recovery, has recently been identified as an important facet of efforts in the US to address the opioid epidemic and substance use disorders. However, little is known about the behavioral health workforce working in harm-reduction settings. This article aims…
Salary disparities emphasize the urgency of rectifying pay inequities in public health occupations. However, many public health positions are governed by state employee pay structures that cannot be changed for only one agency. Given the challenges of increasing governmental pay just for public health, additional approaches are needed for public health recruitment and retention that…
Local, state, tribal, and territorial government public health departments in the United States act as the front-line against disease, but are severely understaffed. Although there are other factors that can attract job candidates, salary is known to be paramount in recruitment competition, including public health. While previous studies have compared salaries between different occupations within…
