Modernizing the Workforce

LDCPH’s strategic plan is a “living document” that actively guides the attainment of health department priorities. It currently includes completion of a workforce development plan. 

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• In the process of moving to a Public Health 3.0 model, LDCPH realized that incorporating community engagement work into job descriptions meant that some staff would now need to work after usual business hours. As a result, the department is exploring changing their positions from non-exempt to exempt status. 
• In addition, all policies have been reviewed, and policies such as work from home have been adopted to encourage flexibility in where and when work takes place.

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This body of work is large and potentially daunting, so it is important to be thoughtful about how to engage the staff, accommodate staff schedules, and revise expectations and deadlines as needed for staff to be fully immersed in training activities.    

• LDCPH began by discussing the need for professional development among its management team and gradually expanded to conversations with all staff.  
• The management team was thoughtful about challenges and potential barriers that surfaced in these discussions and intentionally planned around them. For example, clinical and WIC staff noted that trainings held at certain times of the day posed barriers to attendance, so trainings were scheduled at times staff indicated availability and far enough in advance to allow staff to reserve the time on their calendars. 
• Discussions began about two years before the chief health strategist training plan was launched. 

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Staff training usually focuses on job-specific technical skills. A modern health department, however, requires its staff to understand the “big picture” of public health and have the associated foundational knowledge and skills. This concept is most likely to resonate with staff who join the agency because they are passionate about public health; staff who do not have this viewpoint may not see how these activities are relevant to their work.  

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Deliberately assign staff with experience in the training topic to each training team or small group discussion so they can share their own insights and experiences with their colleagues.  These exchanges enrich the training by making it more directly relevant and can prompt others to share.

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Budget modest amounts of funds for refreshments and room costs to provide a comfortable space, ensure staff are well-nourished, and otherwise offer an environment conducive to learning.  

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For example, LDCPH’s Public Health 3.0 efforts led to centering partnerships for completion of community health improvement plan (CHIP) work, in which the Douglas County government and administrator’s office play a key role. That initial partnership was strengthened as LDCPH and Douglas County formed the unified command structure that oversaw pandemic response efforts. 

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Thanks to foundational public health training sessions, staff thinking about public health problems has evolved to focus more on community conditions than on an individual’s circumstances.  

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Staff may feel that they do not need any additional training because the topics do not apply to their job. Providing overall context and using applied exercises, as described above, can be helpful to staff understanding their role as chief health strategist and thus being more amenable to the professional development activities.  

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The health director and management team should set expectations among staff, provide encouragement, and ensure conditions for staff to fully participate in professional development activities.

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Including professional development activities in operational frameworks helps to institutionalize the practice.

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Either though a memorandum of understanding or an informal mechanism, partnering with academia can ensure high-quality and low-cost opportunities for staff to learn and build new skills.

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