Undergraduate public health education among community colleges

Since the 2003 Institute of Medicine recommendation that “…all undergraduates should have access to education in public health,” progress has rapidly developed. The growth in undergraduate public health education has primarily been observed among 4-year institutions while community colleges have largely remained an untapped resource. Community colleges offer great potential for fulfilling workforce needs and improving appreciation for and understanding of public health since nearly half of all undergraduates attend a community college at some point in their education; they enroll large numbers of under-represented minorities; and they already train nearly half of all new health care workers, including approximately 60% of nurses. Healthy People 2020 has proposed a new objective focused on increasing the proportion of 2-year colleges offering public health or related associate degrees and/or certificate programs. The collection of baseline data for the objective has been made possible with funding through the ASPH-CDC cooperative agreement, in cooperation with the American Association of Community Colleges. Baseline data suggest that only between 1 and 2% of community colleges offer public health or related associate degrees. However, a range of other existing degree offerings provide related course work. Development of associate degrees which serve workforce needs, are transferable to 4 year institutions, and provide career ladders are key to achieving the Healthy People 2020 objective. This presentation will discuss the status of public health education in community colleges and propose future directions for community colleges in public health education and in addressing needs of the public health workforce.