The public health workforce includes all those responsible for providing the essential services of public health regardless of the organization in which they work. Evaluating the public health workforce includes assessment of the size, composition, distribution, activities, and education needs of the workforce as related to the essential services of public health.
List of Relevant Links to Tools and Guidance
HRSA's National Center for Health Workforce Analysis
Collect, analyze and disseminate health workforce information and facilitate national, state and local workforce planning efforts. Monitor trends to assure that all segments of society have access to quality health care professionals providing appropriate health care services in all geographic areas.
The Public Health Workforce: An Agenda for the 21st Century 
[PDF, 196 kb]
This report provides a profile of the current public health workforce and make projections regarding the workforce of the 21st century including competencies for providing essential public health services.
The New England Alliance for Public Health Workforce Development
The New England Alliance is a Health Resources and Services Administration Public Health Training Center. The Center is a partnership between academic public health programs and the local public health agencies and organizations. It promotes and facilitates collaborative education and training among academic, local, state, and regional public health agencies to enhance the quality of public health services, especially for underserved areas and populations in the region.
Public Health Workforce Development Initiative
The CDC/ATSDR Strategic Plan for Public Health Workforce Development (OWPP) was adopted to align the reality of public health workforce training with the vision of a competent workforce able to perform the essential public health services. Six strategies form the core of this plan. These strategies support and reinforce each other, and are detailed in the website. Website includes materials on core public health workforce competencies and workforce training needs assessment instruments.
Public health leaders often belong to one of three trade organizations, which mainly concern themselves with policy development. They are:
- NACCHO: National Association of City and County Health Officials. NACCHO is for local-level health officials.
- ASTHO: Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. ASTHO is for state-level health commissioners and their senior deputies.
- NALBOH: National Association of Local Boards of Health. NALBOH supports local boards of health.