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Workforce Development

NMHealth understands that in order to achieve our North Star of becoming the healthiest state in the nation by 2040, we need to accomplish foundational, infrastructure goals first. NMHealth has an essential, key goal of creating a diverse, proficient and supported workforce as part of our fundamentals map and we are working steadfastly to achieve this goal. We are committed to creating a culture of civility for our workforce, passion for the important work we are doing and encouraging collaboration and cohesion among all of our team members. NMHealth understands the importance of feeling psychological safety at work, treating employees as assets and the value of creating diverse, multi-disciplinary teams which include people with different strengths and experiences that they bring to the table.

As of January 2024, the Workforce Development Office has been officially established in the NMHealth Human Resources Bureau which is led by our Human Resources Director, HC Hawkins. Listed below are the other employee positions within the office:

NMHealth sees workforce development as an overarching umbrella for many activities that help recruit and retain a diverse, supported, proficient workforce. Some of the areas in our purview include:

  • Recruitment-working with our skilled Communications and Marketing team to ensure we are using the most up-to-date, evidence-based recruitment tools to attract the best candidates.
  • Internships-creating opportunities for students to experience the vastness of NMHealth services and supports in hopes of creating a pipeline of students coming into the workforce.
  • Onboarding practices-welcoming new employees to the team and ensuring they have all the training and tools necessary to get the job done.
  • Retention-the best recruitment tool is retention. Some of our retention initiatives include creating recognition programs, engaging employees in stay interviews and ensuring strategic and role clarity.
  • Professional Development-providing training opportunities for employees to enhance their knowledge and skills.
  • Job Skills Training-providing effective, engaging training programs to teach new employees how to do their jobs.

Accreditation Standards for Workforce Development in Public Health

The Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) Standards have placed added emphasis on workforce development. Domain 8 requires agencies to maintain a competent public health workforce. This includes:

  • Ensuring the development of a sufficient number of qualified public health workers; and
  • Assessing staff competencies and providing training / professional development.

Domain 8 also outlines the expectation that public health agencies have documented partnerships or collaboration with schools of public health and other related academic programs to develop qualified public health workers and promote public health as a career choice. NMHealth has strong relationships with our University partners and understand the importance of utilizing these relationships to better serve the community and promote NMHealth as a good place to work after students complete their schooling.

The Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG)

The Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) is a groundbreaking investment that supports critical public health infrastructure needs of health departments across the United States. Through this 5-year grant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) awarded $4.35 billion to 107 health departments and three national public health partners. The grant aims to strengthen public health outcomes by allowing health departments to direct funds toward specific organizational and community needs. Key strategies include workforce development, foundational capabilities, and data modernization1. The goal is to create a more resilient public health system ready to face future health threats. NMHealth is a proud PHIG recipient and is thrilled about being able to leverage these resources to support the public health workforce!

More Information

If you have any ideas or questions about the Department's workforce initiatives or would like assistance with any of the activities in our purview, please feel free to reach out to any of the Workforce Development Office employees.