A1 Workforce
The City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (LDHHS) has provided public health services to its community for over a century and is one of only four local health jurisdictions in the state of California. Through an organizational assessment, the LBDHHS identified a need to enhance its workforce infrastructure to be more equitable. Lower income communities of color in Long Beach are disproportionately affected by health disparities such as higher rates of chronic disease and worsen health due to climate change. By prioritizing equity in its workforce, the LBDHHS expects these populations to benefit the most from this grant. Thus, it will conduct work under the following key activities:
Recruit and hire new public health staff by creating four new public health job descriptions that align with its Strategic Plan and equity efforts which include: Climate Officer, Chronic Disease Program Specialist, Wellness Coordinator, and a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and/or Gender Expansive, Queer and/or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, and Two-Spirit (LGBTQIA2S+) Health Equity Coordinator. The LBDHHS will also provide hiring incentives for hard-to-fill positions.
Retain public health staff by maintaining five public health positions that align with its Strategic Plan and equity efforts which include: Latino Health Equity Coordinator, Cambodian Health Equity Coordinator, Filipino and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Health Equity Coordinator, Healthy Aging Public Health Nurse, and a Healthy Aging Social Worker. The LBDHHS will also offer annual retention bonuses for high turnover/ hard-to-fill positions and will ensure staff feel supported in their positions.
Support and sustain the public health workforce by creating opportunities for staff to engage in wellness activities that promote physical and mental health.
Strengthen support for the implementation of the grant by hiring a Workforce Director who will create plans to improve overall workforce practices and will collaborate with other CDC funded agencies to share relevant ideas. The Program Evaluator will lead all evaluation and performance measurement efforts including completing all reporting requirements.
With this funding, the LBDHHS expects to meet the following outcomes by the end of the five-year grant term: 1) increase Latino and Black management by 10% to reflect Long Beach’s population, 2) the percentage of staff that report the LBDHHS supports their success will increase by 10%; thus increasing retention and sustainability of public health workforce 3) develop an Equity Action Plan to address gaps in health, social, and economic outcomes by race/ethnicity including older adults and LGBTQIA2S+ populations.
A2 Foundational capabilities
The City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services (LDHHS) has provided public health services to its community for over a century and is one of only four local health jurisdictions in the state of California. The LBDHHS has identified operational infrastructure systems that need to be updated and improved to ensure it strengthens its foundational capabilities, so equitable outcomes are more achievable. These areas include performance improvement, accreditation, data, human resources, procurement, and financial management.
With this funding, the LBDHHS expects to meet the following outcomes by the end of the five-year grant term: 1) strengthen accountability practices and performance improvement systems, including staying current on accreditation, 2) ensure that organizational competencies addressing human resources, financial management, and contract and procurement services match the current context, focus on equity, and can support the LBDHHS’s Strategic Plan, 3) data are effectively used to plan, monitor, measure, and drive policies and programs with an emphasis on equity and social determinants of health by having an updated and robust internal and external data monitoring system.