Public health has humbled me, challenged me, and given me a lens to see the world as interconnected. It’s a field where small actions ripple outward, leadership means serving, and authenticity isn’t just welcomed but essential.
The RVPHTC conducts a training needs assessment every few years to help identify and prioritize the current needs of the region’s Local Health Departments (LHDs). These training needs help inform the development of training resources that will best serve our users and each iteration of the training needs assessment has slight differences and helps us learn more about the LHDs that we are serving.
As we draw our second health literacy conference to a close, we will work with attendees on the action items they developed during our conference in the following months to assist public health-focused organizations in becoming more health literate while improving community engagement and access to care. Striving to provide educational opportunities resulting in calls to action is key to reducing barriers and creating more health literate organizations.
By promoting a better understanding of microaggressions, bias, and diversity, public health practitioners can create more equitable workplaces and ultimately improve the health outcomes of the communities they serve.