Oregon public health workers' participation in national and state public health organizations: Are public health organizations understood and valued anymore?

While demographic and health patterns of Oregon rapidly change, little is known about the public health (PH) workforce and the organizations serving their needs. In 2007, we surveyed known PH workers and students through e-mail and listservs. The majority of the respondents (n = 687) were female (74.3%), Caucasian (87.6%), Non-Latino/Hispanic (93.2%). 60.7% reported having earned a Masters degree or higher. Of those having Masters degrees, 26.2% reported having Masters of PH. Only 19.5% of respondents were current members of the Oregon Public Health Association (OPHA) and 66.2% were never members. Likewise, only 19.7% were members of the American Public Health Association (APHA). Only 9.2% of all respondents were members of both organizations. Being unable to see a clear benefit in membership was the main reason for OPHA non-membership among both non-student (40.2%) and student (66.7%) former members. Whereas, 39.2% of non-students and 41.4% of students who were never OPHA members reported that they did not know enough about the organization. The top three OPHA activities supported by both non-student and student members of OPHA were advocacy/policy work, leadership on PH issues, and assisting PH students. Non-student PH workers prioritized the top three activities that OPHA should be engaged in as: leadership of PH issues, advocacy/policy work, and educational programs. Having little voice on policy and program decisions themselves, Oregon PH workers expect OPHA to have that voice by creating and promoting a sustainable, recognizable identity and focusing on advocacy/policy work and leadership building in the future.