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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Chris Day, MPH, Public Health Foundation, 1300 L Street, NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20005, 202-218-4425, cday@phf.org

Adequate numbers of skilled, diverse, and culturally competent public health workers are necessary to assure that all Americans have access to needed population and personal health services. However, recent studies have suggested that the governmental public health workforce is facing emerging worker shortages. To compound this problem, minorities are underrepresented in the health professions. The Sullivan Commission on Diversity in the Healthcare Workforce has concluded that the "imbalance in the makeup of the nation's [health workforce] contributes to the gap in health status and the impaired access to health care experienced by a significant portion of our population" (2004, page iv). The Institute of Medicine has also recommended increasing the diversity of health professionals in this country as a way to address health disparities. This session will focus on identifying existing and needed resources to bolster the public health workforce, with a particular focus on fostering diversity and cultural competence.

The Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice (Council) has been working to compile evidence-based strategies to improve the recruitment and retention of public health workers, students, and faculty members. This session will provide an opportunity to share some of those strategies and tools to implement them. In addition, participants will be asked for feedback about what tools still need to be developed. The session will also discuss how the "cultural competency" domain of the Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals can be used as a framework for identifying and training workers in cultural competence.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn about strategies others are using to improve the recruitment, retention, and training of a diverse and culturally competent public health workforce.
• Identify existing resources and develop ideas for potential tools in this area.

Keywords: Workforce, Cultural Competency

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation