A Call to Action: Public Health and Community College Partnerships to Educate the Workforce and Promote Health Equity

摘要

The crisis with the public health workforce is not a new threat. Reports over many years warned of this imminent danger.The average age of a state public health worker is 47 years and by 2012, greater than 50 percent will be eligible for retirement. It is estimated that an additional 250 000 workers need to be trained by 2020, creating a daunting challenge for current educational structures. A 2004 report by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologist noted that 48 percent of epidemiologists in state and local public health agencies were not academically trained.