Enumeration of the Public Health Workforce in New York State: Workforce Changes in the Wake of COVID-19.

The governmental public health workforce in the United States has faced staffing shortages for over a decade that have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. To assess this critical issue, the Region 2 Public Health Training Center collaborated with the New York State Association of County Health Officials to enumerate the city and county public health workforce in New York State. The organizations used an online survey to: (1) count employees and full-time equivalent (FTEs) staff in local health departments in 2021; (2) assess workforce trends since the COVID-19 pandemic; and, (3) identify challenges local health departments encounter in recruiting and retaining qualified public health workers.

COVID-19 Vaccine Administration: Phase 2 of an in Progress Review in New York State Local Health Departments.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York State (NYS), local health departments (LHDs) have worked to mitigate the highly infectious disease. As lead public health experts in their communities, LHDs are responsible for providing communicable disease control, emergency response, and establishing immunization programs, including leading large-scale vaccine distribution efforts. The aim of this qualitative study was to understand the processes used by LHDs in NYS to administer COVID-19 vaccines, as well as identify successes and challenges, and highlight lessons learned to improve future mass vaccination campaigns.