NHHF Unveils Initiative to Recruit Future Public Health Professionals

The National Hispanic Health Foundation (NHHF) launched a CDC-backed recruitment and retention campaign, part of its Recruitment and Retention Public Health Program, aimed at closing a public health staffing gap that leaders say is already straining emergency response and basic services in communities nationwide.

Strong Workforce, Healthier Communities will roll out first in four pilot markets, Los Angeles, Albuquerque, Phoenix, and Atlanta, testing outreach strategies NHHF plans to expand nationwide. State and local health departments need at least 80,000 additional full-time public health professionals to deliver core services, according to a 2021 analysis by the de Beaumont Foundation, and attrition is expected to widen that gap through 2030.

"We need to increase the next generation of public health leaders from our communities," said Dr. Elena Rios, President of NHHF. "Through this campaign, we are investing in innovative tools and resources to inspire and recruit future public health professionals to serve the communities that need them most."

Guadalupe Pacheco, NHHF Program Director, underscored the urgency. "Across the country, our city, county, and state public health systems are stretched thin. Experienced staff are leaving faster than we can replace them, and too many young people never consider public health as a career because they don't know opportunities exist or don't see themselves represented in the profession. That gap is the single biggest threat to the progress we've made over the last decade."

The campaign is part of NHHF's Recruiting and Retaining a Public Health Workforce Program, a five-year cooperative agreement with the CDC that began in 2022.

The campaign provides recruitment and retention resources, digital career guides, webinars, and workforce development tools for students, professionals, and hiring officials. It also explores how emerging technologies, including AI, can be used responsibly to support recruitment and retention. NHHF continues to partner with national public health organizations to strengthen the workforce pipeline.