Student Loan Forgiveness for Public Health Workers

Problem Statement:

Now that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has finally been fully implemented, millions of Americans will now have access to health care coverage and to health care services. As a country, we are now able to begin the transformation from a “sick care” system into one that centers on prevention and health promotion. People that were once denied coverage, those who did not have employee health benefits, or those who were too financially insecure to afford premiums are now able to seek care, and the medical and public health workforces must adapt to accommodate these increasing numbers by increasing their own. As of today, despite the growing national awareness of the importance of the public health system in sustaining a healthy population, the public health workforce is being crippled by substantial decreases in funding, reductions of resources and staff, inadequate training, and an inequitable distribution of health care practitioners in areas of the greatest need. According to the American Public Health Association (APHA), 44,000 governmental public health jobs at the state and local level were lost between 2008 and 2010. Numbers compiled by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) show that 41 percent of local health departments (LHD) experienced some level of reduction in workforce capacity. The NACCHO reports that all LHDs are experiencing a 13 percent diminished capacity in staff operations, with reductions in hours worked and mandated furloughs. Because of these budget cuts and workforce shortages, agencies must now do more with less. This not only puts a strain on agencies; it also detracts from worker recruitment and retention. Given the estimate provided by the Association o...

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