NACDD is thrilled to announce we have received a 2024 Public Health AmeriCorps (PHA) grant award to continue building the next generation of public health leaders and strengthening the public health workforce. In partnership with AmeriCorps and CDC, NACDD will engage up to 40 service members across 20 states to create healthier, stronger, and more resilient communities. Service members will support State Health Departments and/or local public health organizations in equitably increasing food and nutrition security, access to safe physical activity, and social connectedness.

NACDD received its initial funding for PHA in 2022, and successfully concluded its inaugural year with the graduation of 10 Service Members, eight of which plan to continue their public health journeys post-service through a graduate degree program or a public health-related career path. These outcomes demonstrate significant progress toward creating pathways to high-quality public health careers through onsite experience and training, ultimately strengthening the national public health infrastructure. Currently, NACDD has 18 service members across nine host site states. Visit our website to learn more.

We are encouraged by the opportunity to grow the next generation of public health leaders through PHA, but we are deeply concerned with an unprecedented level of funding cuts proposed in the recent FY25 House Labor-HHS appropriations bill. These cuts threaten the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) ability to serve as our nation’s lead health promotion and disease prevention agency. Adequate funding for CDC and the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP) is critical, especially for six in ten Americans currently living with at least one chronic disease.(Read our full statement about the proposed cuts.)

Investing in workforce development in public health is crucial for building a resilient and adaptive public health system, which ultimately affects the overall health and well-being of our nation.

This year’s NACDD Board President’s Challenge calls for strengthening public health infrastructure to support and sustain a thriving chronic disease workforce, with a focus on fulfilling the basic needs of the employee first. As part of the challenge, Board President Dr. Bala Simon has hosted a series of webinars tailored to Chronic Disease Directors and Unit Managers/Supervisors to address important workforce opportunities, issues, and innovative solutions with topics such as workplace engagement, managing to prevent burnout, employee well-being, and succession planning.

In alignment with the President’s Challenge, NACDD’s recent General Member Webinar examined how workplace conditions can cause or alleviate workforce burnout, and why a focus on self-care and individual responsibility cannot fully or fairly address burnout. Omar Khalid, Director of Workforce Development at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), discussed the role of organizational change in responding to chronic workplace stress and other conditions that contribute to burnout. (Watch the recording of the webinar).

One effective way to prevent burnout and increase employee engagement is through recognition. When employees receive recognition for their hard work, it boosts morale and can reaffirm their sense of purpose and contribution to the organization’s mission, therefore reducing stress and improving overall mental well-being, which ultimately leads to higher retention rates.

NACDD’s Impact Awards are a great opportunity to acknowledge and thank our Members, your colleagues, for their hard work, unwavering dedication, and outstanding leadership in the field of public health. The Impact Awards recognize exceptional public health practitioners, State, Tribal, and Territorial Health Departments, and partners, in categories such as Chronic Disease Innovator, Health Equity, Community Impact, Mentor Award, Rising Star, and more. Nominations for this year’s awards are due by Monday, August 19, 2024, by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET).

Nominate someone (or yourself!) today.

P.S. Watch this inspiring webinar from NACDD’s diabetes portfolio, “Fired Up, Not Burned Out: Reignite Your Passion for Diabetes Prevention and Management Work.” Drs. Chris Cunningham and Kristen Jennings Black from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga delve into the realities of burnout in public health, teach how to recognize it, and share practical tools to prevent and combat it.

And be sure to take advantage of the many resources offered by NACDD’s Center for Public Health Leadership, which aims to build the future of public health through workforce development, strategic leadership, and organizational capacity.