Strategies for Enhancing Governmental Public Health Workforce Well-being and Retention

Abstract

M oral injury and workforce burnout constrain public health agencies' operational capacity. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the urgency and scope of public health professionals' work, while decreasing individual capacity and effectiveness. Nearly half of all public health workers left their positions between 2017 and 2021. 1 In 2021, 55% of public health employees polled reported 1 or more posttraumatic stress disorder symptom. 2 These alarming rates highlight the importance of making the public health workforce's long-term well-being an organizational priority to prevent adverse downstream effects on population health outcomes.Governmental public health agencies, as compared with private industry, 3,4 face unique restrictions when it comes to recruitment, retention, and employee experience. These limitations include formal policies around human resources, civil service classifications and procedures, and political processes and pressure that can complicate efforts to address the public health workforce's needs.In addition, while workforce burnout was an issue even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 1 the scale and importance of public health worker responsibilities ballooned during the pandemic response. The need for contact tracing, data collection and reporting,