GOVERNOR’S PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION DISCUSSES PUBLIC HEALTH WORKFORCE

The Governor’s Public Health Commission met today at the Indiana State Library to discuss public health workforce issues.

Co-chair Judy Monroe, M.D., FAAFP, opened the meeting and noted that the topic of workforce is timely given the current struggles with retention issues across the state and country.  “We need a strong workforce and there is nothing more fundamental to achieving the mission,” she said.

Special guests were Courtney Medlock, MPH, of the Bowen Center for Health Workforce Research and Policy, Indiana University School of Medicine, and Valerie A. Yeager, DrPH, MPhil, from the Department of Health Policy and Management, Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health.

Medlock reviewed potential opportunities for public health and the healthcare workforce to combine efforts to improve public health services in Indiana.

“We must talk about the healthcare workforce and the public health workforce in unison. There are multiple roles that overlap,” including physicians, nurses and health educators, Medlock said.

Medlock and Yeager offered potential areas of focus, including data collection to inform policymaking, developing health workforce strategies for recruitment and retention, and coordination of policies for training and workforces across state agencies.

State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box added that public will have multiple opportunities to provide input to the commission. A public comment form has been made available on the commission’s website where Hoosiers can provide feedback on the areas of focus for the commission. Beginning in January, the commission will also conduct statewide listening tours to hear directly from communities.

Governor Eric J. Holcomb established the 15-member commission in August to study Indiana’s public health infrastructure and make recommendations for improvements. The commission is co-chaired by former State Health Commissioner Dr. Judy Monroe, who now serves as president and CEO of the CDC Foundation, and former state Sen. Luke Kenley. Current State Health Commissioner Kris Box, M.D., FACOG, serves as secretary, while former Congresswoman Susan Brooks serves as a non-voting citizen advisor.

The commission will examine the strengths and weaknesses of Indiana’s current public health system and make recommendations to improve the delivery of public health services across the state. The commission’s work will focus on areas including emergency preparedness, governance and structure, funding, data and information, healthcare and public health workforce, and the integration of childhood and adolescent health services.

The commission’s next meeting is Nov. 18 in the History Reference Room at the Indiana State Library, Indianapolis. The commission will discuss public health funding and financing. More information about the commission, including agendas, presenter slides, resources and other materials, can be found at www.in.gov/gphc. Executive Order 21-21, which established commission, can be found here.