Young Public Health Workers Leaving Jobs, threatening System Capacity: Columbia University Research
WASHINGTON – A concerning trend of younger public health workers leaving their positions in state and local governments is raising alarms about the future capacity of AmericaS public health infrastructure, according to new research from Columbia University. The study highlights the need for innovative retention strategies, focusing on benefits beyond traditional salary increases.
Heather Krasna, associate dean of career and professional progress at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health, has been tracking the exodus. “People under 35 have been more likely to leave the jobs that they’ve gotten in local or state government,” she stated.
These workers,Krasna emphasizes,are critical to everyday public safety. “These are the folks that are doing things that typical people don’t notice and take completely for granted. So when you go and eat at a restaurant, you assume you’re not going to die of salmonella poisoning. When you drink water, you assume that there’s a system that keeps that water clean.”
The research points to a combination of factors driving this trend. While younger workers initially enter the field motivated by a desire to serve their communities and seek job security,recent challenges are eroding those assurances. The COVID-19 pandemic strained the workforce,and current political pressures,including potential funding cuts to federal agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and to state and local health departments,are exacerbating the problem.
“They do get a lot of federal funding, and that funding is being cut. And so these roles have been also shaken up,” Krasna explained.
To combat this, Krasna suggests state and local governments prioritize benefits notably valued by younger employees. These include flexible schedules, remote work opportunities, and crucially, access to childcare. She notes that approximately three-quarters of those under 35 working in state and local public health are women, making these benefits particularly relevant.
While acknowledging the limitations of public sector compensation rules, Krasna urges agencies to explore wage increases were feasible, and to emulate the private sector’s use of bonuses for retention.
“You know, the thing with public health is that it’s really invisible until something goes really wrong,” Krasna warned. “She says this is not a workforce you wont to lose.”
The research is based on data from a national survey of public health workers conducted every three years. The report was featured in a recent NPR News segment.
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