Author name: Heidi Satter

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (MDHSS) and the City of Milwaukee Health Department (MHD) leveraged PHIG technical assistance from the Public Health Foundation to develop workforce development plans that will empower their staff to serve their communities effectively and efficiently. These plans prioritize organizational goals, reflect employee needs and preferences, and adhere to the Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals. Workforce development plans not only allow any health departments to meet accreditation requirements, these plans will help MDHSS and MHD create a supportive work environment, improve employee retention, and maximize their investment in staff training.

DMI Advisory Committees are essential to successfully engaging health agencies and partners to improve and modernize public health data systems. PHIG teams in the Republic of Palau, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and Guam have each kicked off a DMI Advisory Committee and are demonstrating how to leverage the diverse expertise of their advisors to advance DMI assessment, planning, and implementation of modernization strategies. Learn more in this blog.

Open houses are an opportunity for health departments to engage the community, foster trust and transparency, and build pathways for people seeking a career in public health. In late 2023, the Massachusetts Department of Health (DPH) held two virtual open houses—supported by the Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG)—for students and alums of Massachusetts colleges and universities. DPH’s Workforce Director Arnaldo Machado shared his insights, lessons learned, and testimonials from staff about the experience with ASTHO.

Arizona’s two largest urban health departments have dedicated public health infrastructure funding to building stronger relationships with area tribal nations.
Maricopa and Pima Counties are two of just a handful of local health departments in the U.S. who have such dedicated positions charged with strengthening intergovernmental relationships to improve health equity.

Faced with pressing public health needs and a workforce that deserved a post-pandemic morale boost, the Shelby County Health Department came up with a brilliant way to address both.

The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and the Republic of Palau (Palau) are both either updating or developing new public health plans, such as organizational strategic plans, workforce plans, and DMI plans. In January 2024, they took time during a PHIG convening of the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands and in follow-up on-site technical assistance sessions with ASTHO to assess their readiness, sequence their plans, and start organizing their planning efforts.

On February 29, 2024, the PHI Center for Health Leadership & Impact (CHLI) hosted Region 9’s first virtual Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) Technical Assistance Launch in collaboration with the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI). The event gathered nearly 70 representatives from health departments and organizations across the region, and was an excellent example of how well-structured virtual convenings can serve as critical tools to build or maintain interagency relationships, share complex information, and foster collaboration. PHI also used this event to launch their Region 9 PHIG Resource Guide, which is available for download on their website – click through to the story to learn more!