Experiences and Lessons Learned From Surging the Governmental Public Health Workforce During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Health Workforce Management

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the critical role of the public health workforce in managing outbreaks and maintaining essential services.
• State, tribal, local, and territorial (STLT) public health agencies (PHAs) faced significant staffing shortages during the pandemic.
• PHAs employed various strategies to augment their workforce to meet pandemic-related demands.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the strategies and supports used by STLT PHAs to surge their public health workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To evaluate the effectiveness and challenges associated with these surge strategies and supports.
• To understand how PHAs utilized available surge strategies.

Main Methods:

• Conducted 27 semi-structured interviews with public health officials and experts in 2023.
• Performed thematic analysis on interview data to identify key themes and patterns.
• Included diverse perspectives from STLT public health leaders and supporting organizations.

Main Results:

• Key surge strategies included leveraging partnerships, staffing agencies, the National Guard, and specific CDC-affiliated programs (e.g., COVID-19 Corps, Medical Reserve Corps).
• Valued strategies offered rapid staff engagement at no cost and flexible federal funding.
• Challenges included inadequate planning, insufficient resources, and difficulties in implementing multiple strategies simultaneously.

Conclusions:

• STLT PHAs must develop robust workforce surge mechanisms for ongoing emergency preparedness.
• Building administrative and hiring capacity, sustaining partnerships, and exploring creative recruitment/retention strategies are crucial.
• Engaging students in public health work can also contribute to future workforce capacity.