Public Health Training Centers: More Relevant Than Ever.

Interest in and awareness of public health in the United States has grown due to COVID-19; however, state and local health departments have seen a mass exodus of leadership since the beginning of the pandemic. Based on the results of the de Beaumont Foundation's most recent Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS), nearly one in three public health employees say they are considering leaving the profession due to stress, burnout, and low pay. One viable strategy for ensuring a diverse and competent public health workforce is the national network of Public Health Training Centers (PHTCs). This commentary describes the Public Health Training Center Network, with a specific focus on Region IV, and discusses challenges and opportunities for advancing the public health agenda in the United States. The national PHTC Network continues to provide invaluable services in terms of training, professional development, and experiential learning for the current and future public health workforce. However, increased funding would allow PHTCs to have a greater impact and reach through bridge programs for public health workers and others, additional field placement experiences, and expanded outreach to non-public health professionals in training activities. PHTCs have shown great adaptability over time and can once again pivot to meet the needs of a rapidly changing public health landscape demonstrating that PHTCs are truly more relevant than ever.

Exploring the Preliminary Steps of One County Health Department to Manage the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This case study describes how one county health department in Alabama used the best available evidence to address the needs of its citizens during the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors explore issues of scope of authority by government officials, individual freedom versus population health, and challenges of health communication during a disease outbreak. Despite the availability of vaccines, boosters, and access to vaccines by children as young as 5 years, COVID-19 cases are on the rise across the United States more than 2 years after the official news broke out of Wuhan, China. Health officials have expressed concerns that backlash against governmental public health during the pandemic will limit public health authorities from responding to the traditional challenges that were present pre-COVID-19 and will remain in a post-COVID-19 world.

Reconsidering the "Place" in Field Placement.

Site-based, in-person field placement experiences prepare students for real-world community practice through reflection; direct, hands-on experience; and the completion of a project or set of deliverables that add value to the organization. These practice experiences encourage students to integrate classroom learning with the knowledge and skills of a workplace environment. In the Southeast United States, the Region IV Public Health Training Center (R-IV PHTC) provides students with practice experiences through the Pathways to Practice Scholars Field Placement Program. Before COVID-19, these field placement experiences were limited to in-person assignments in which students worked and lived in the communities they served. However, student and mentor experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that remote work arrangements offer a viable alternative to the onsite-only field placement experience. In this article, we describe student experiences with remote and hybrid work arrangements, highlight issues regarding equity and inclusion, and discuss implications for future public health practice.