UMN-research-showcases-staffing-issues-in-local-health-departments-statewide

UMN research showcases staffing issues in local health departments statewide

A survey led by the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health revealed areas in which local health departments (LHDs) are experiencing staffing challenges since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The results of the survey were published in the July/August 2023 issue of the Journal of Public Health Management & Practice and received a response from 97% of LHDs in Minnesota.
The results of the study were split into multiple papers, the first led and written by School of Public Health researcher Harshada Karnik. Karnik’s paper focuses on the quantitative aspects of the mixed-method mode the researchers used to gather data.
“In this paper, we essentially looked at what the occupations are where local health departments need more staffing, how they are going to prioritize it and what some of the barriers are that are keeping them from filling these gaps in the workforce,” Karnik said.
According to Karnik, the study found certain occupations like public health nurses and community health workers have more gaps in their staffing that need to be filled than others within the industry.
Karnik explained a lot of LHDs statewide are understaffed and the workers they do have are often underpaid. She also said LHDs struggle to create new positions which then also need to be filled by employees.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Karnik, health departments did not have the authorization to create new positions. With the continued lack of new hires and the slow burnout of existing employees, the gaps in the system became more apparent.

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