Despite improvements in maternal and child health, significant inequities persist in the United States, including disparities in maternal and infant mortality, low birth weight, asthma, and developmental disabilities. A well-trained, supported, and diverse maternal and child health workforce is an important structural factor in addressing these inequities. Existing maternal and child health indices capture some…
Legal scope of practice for dental hygienists differs by state. Research suggests that broader scope of practice laws at the state level can improve oral health outcomes. This infographic, an update from when it was last updated in 2024, illustrates allowable tasks for dental hygienists by each state in the United States, to help planners…
Medicaid faces significant policy and funding changes that could affect access to primary care, raising questions about the stability of the clinician workforce serving Medicaid enrollees. However, fluctuations in Medicaid participation may reflect changes in patient enrollment rather than frequent decisions by clinicians to enter or leave the program. Understanding how primary care clinicians maintain…
Telepsychiatry has become a critical tool for expanding access to behavioral health care, with utilization increasing substantially during the COVID-19 pandemic alongside federal telehealth policy flexibilities. While some flexibilities have been made permanent, others are set to expire, and the effects on access to care remain unclear. Understanding the extent to which patients receive behavioral…
Substance use during pregnancy remains a major public health concern in the United States, contributing to adverse maternal and infant outcomes, including preterm birth, neonatal abstinence syndrome, and increased maternal mortality. Although universal screening during prenatal care is recommended to identify women with substance use disorders (SUDs) and connect them to treatment, screening and treatment…
High turnover rates in the public health workforce pose ongoing challenges to maintain essential services and institutional knowledge. Recent studies indicate that job dissatisfaction, burnout, and structural barriers have intensified following the COVID-19 pandemic. While prior studies have identified key predictors of turnover intention, the potential of machine learning to improve predictive accuracy and guide…
Governmental public health workers that are 35 years of age or younger have been shown to experience lower retention rates than older workers. Salaries are often a factor in retention, but because health departments sometimes face restrictions in improving salaries, health departments might explore offering nontraditional benefits to attract and retain workers. This article analyzes…
Millions of patients receive care in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), including both long-term residents and short-stay patients recovering after hospitalization. Staffing challenges following COVID-19 have made turnover a major concern, especially among nursing staff, as it is linked to poorer patient outcomes and has become a focus of federal quality programs. However, far less is…
Healthcare and behavioral health professionals employed by local, state, and federal governments are essential to maintaining public health infrastructure, ensuring access to care, and responding to emergencies. Despite their importance, limited research has examined how recent policy, budgetary, and labor market changes are influencing their employment stability and retention within government sectors. This article uses…
Telehealth use in long-term care (LTC) facilities expanded rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic following Medicare policy changes in March 2020. Utilization has remained above pre-pandemic levels, but research has focused primarily on physicians, leaving gaps in the understanding of nurses’ roles and experiences. Nurses, including nurse practitioners (NPs) and certified nursing assistants (CNAs), are central…
