An Introduction to Public Health: Improving Health for All

In an effort to build a well-informed public health workforce to meet the challenges of addressing health inequities in Riverside County California, the Riverside County Department of Public Health (RCDOPH) developed an innovative approach to staff development. The purpose of this training series is to create learning activities that foster a deep understanding of social determinants of health and build commitment to eliminate health inequities in our diverse population. Using a similar training developed by Alameda County Department of Public Health as a template, RCDOPH developed the Public Health: Improving Health for All curriculum as a set of staff-driven trainings that provide the basic public health education necessary to achieve a workforce capable of facing the challenge of addressing health inequities. With full administrative support, this 6-part mandatory training outlines the public health system, its core functions and 10 essential services, cultural competency and cultural humility, the history of race and racism in the United States, and the social determents of health and health equity. Through facilitated exercises these trainings promote dialogue about issues such as racism, discrimination, and homophobia and their correlation with health disparities. This presentation will detail steps taken to develop a novel training series designed for public health staff. Presenters will cover the successes and challenges in the design and implementation of this training series including development of the curriculum, the scheduling and facilitation challenges, budgetary concerns and barriers, curriculum assessment, and staff response.