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Sustainability of the Growth of the Local Public Health Workforce During the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2019–2022.

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Title: Sustainability of the Growth of the Local Public Health Workforce During the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2019–2022.
Authors: Patel, Krishna, McCall, Timothy C., Cunningham, Margaret, Garofalini, Chloe, Lee, Joi, Alford, Aaron A.
Source: American Journal of Public Health. Aug2025, Vol. 115 Issue 8, p1271-1277. 7p.
Subjects: Public officers, Medical personnel, Endowments, Contracting out, Descriptive statistics, Public health administration, Part-time employment, Temporary employment, COVID-19 pandemic, Employment
Geographic Terms: United States
Abstract: Objectives. To explore whether and how the local health department (LHD) workforce shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic given the large influx of supplemental funding to public health. Methods. We used data from the National Association of County and City Health Officials National Profile of Local Health Departments, the main source of comprehensive data collected from LHDs across the United States. Total numbers of employees, total numbers of full-time equivalents (FTEs), and employee types (full time, part time, contractual, and seasonal) were used to estimate the total LHD workforce in 2022, changes in the LHD workforce from 2019 to 2022, and changes in the LHD workforce from 2019 to 2022 by employee type. Results. In 2022, the estimated LHD workforce consisted of 182 100 employees or 163 200 FTEs. Between 2019 and 2022, there was a 19% increase in the total LHD workforce, but the size of the workforce varied according to jurisdiction size and rurality. The largest increase was among contract workers (175%), whereas the full-time workforce grew by approximately 7%, indicating that the permanent workforce was predominantly unchanged. Conclusions. With the surge in temporary and contract workers in 2022, there are concerns regarding the sustainability of the LHD workforce. Without continued strategic and sustained funding across jurisdiction types, the workforce may be in jeopardy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of American Journal of Public Health is the property of American Public Health Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Sustainability of the Growth of the Local Public Health Workforce During the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2019–2022.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22American+Journal+of+Public+Health%22">American Journal of Public Health</searchLink>. Aug2025, Vol. 115 Issue 8, p1271-1277. 7p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Public+officers%22">Public officers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Medical+personnel%22">Medical personnel</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Endowments%22">Endowments</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Contracting+out%22">Contracting out</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Descriptive+statistics%22">Descriptive statistics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Public+health+administration%22">Public health administration</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Part-time+employment%22">Part-time employment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Temporary+employment%22">Temporary employment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22COVID-19+pandemic%22">COVID-19 pandemic</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Employment%22">Employment</searchLink>
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– Name: Abstract
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  Data: Objectives. To explore whether and how the local health department (LHD) workforce shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic given the large influx of supplemental funding to public health. Methods. We used data from the National Association of County and City Health Officials National Profile of Local Health Departments, the main source of comprehensive data collected from LHDs across the United States. Total numbers of employees, total numbers of full-time equivalents (FTEs), and employee types (full time, part time, contractual, and seasonal) were used to estimate the total LHD workforce in 2022, changes in the LHD workforce from 2019 to 2022, and changes in the LHD workforce from 2019 to 2022 by employee type. Results. In 2022, the estimated LHD workforce consisted of 182 100 employees or 163 200 FTEs. Between 2019 and 2022, there was a 19% increase in the total LHD workforce, but the size of the workforce varied according to jurisdiction size and rurality. The largest increase was among contract workers (175%), whereas the full-time workforce grew by approximately 7%, indicating that the permanent workforce was predominantly unchanged. Conclusions. With the surge in temporary and contract workers in 2022, there are concerns regarding the sustainability of the LHD workforce. Without continued strategic and sustained funding across jurisdiction types, the workforce may be in jeopardy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
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  Data: <i>Copyright of American Journal of Public Health is the property of American Public Health Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=186508405
RecordInfo BibRecord:
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    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.2105/AJPH.2025.308096
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        Text: English
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    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Public officers
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Medical personnel
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Endowments
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Contracting out
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Descriptive statistics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Public health administration
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Part-time employment
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Temporary employment
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      – SubjectFull: COVID-19 pandemic
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      – SubjectFull: Employment
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      – SubjectFull: United States
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    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Sustainability of the Growth of the Local Public Health Workforce During the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2019–2022.
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              M: 08
              Text: Aug2025
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              Y: 2025
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