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Principal support for the Public Health Training Center (PHTC) is provided through a grant from the Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA), United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

 

NE ALLIANCE FOR PUBLIC HEALTH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT


NEPHLI: Investing in the Future, Creating Access in the Present

Health departments, community health centers and even university public health programs have not always found it easy to provide the resources their employees need to keep up with industry changes and explore growth and leadership opportunities. For many years in New England, the Northeast Public Health Leadership Institute (NEPHLI) provided a rich foundation for doing just that. According to their website the NEPHLI program “engages 25 to 30 emerging public health leaders from state and local public health departments and allied public and private organizations to broaden their vision of public health policy, practice, and collaboration; as well as to foster improved decision making within their organizations.” Over the course of a year, students participate in skill-building and communications exercises; personal growth analysis including the Myers-Briggs personality tests; teambuilding trainings; leadership coaching; and project development.

However, as budgets have shrunk and gas prices have risen, the funds for professional development opportunities in public health are being exhausted and the NEPHLI program is becoming less and less accessible to the workforce it seeks to serve.  In an effort to secure cost-effective professional development opportunities, Dr. Ann Fidler, Principle Investigator for the New England Alliance for Public Health Workforce Development, and other regional experts met in June to consider changes to the NEPHLI program.

During the June meeting a representative from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an important resource for the NEPHLI program, told the attendees to expect major funding cuts in the near future.  As a result, the group is exploring revamping NEPHLI’s training program and funding mechanisms to include greater emphasis on distance learning, mentoring and train-the-trainer initiatives. 

“We are involved in opening discussions at this point,” said Dr. Fidler, “including ‘who is the audience?’ and ‘how do we best target potential participants?’” She stated there will be more discussion over the next several months to help inform a plan for NEPHLI to move forward in a sustainable way. This may include a consideration of the Alliance’s role in allocating resources to enable public health professionals to participate.

The Alliance is well acquainted with the benefits of the NEPHLI program. Several of their staff members have engaged in the year-long training series. Most recently Scott Harris, Practicum Director at the Boston University School of Public Health, entered the 2011-2012 NEPHLI class. As part of the Alliance, Mr. Harris works to familiarize graduates students with the benefits of lifelong learning and professional development.

According to Mr. Harris, “It’s been great to meet other professionals from New England as well as New York and Pennsylvania and get their perceptions on the public health challenges they are facing in their communities.”