Public Health On Call 964 - Supporting the Public Health Workforce in Challenging Times
Oct 16, 2025
Beth Resnick, Assistant Dean for Practice and Training at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, joins Tara Kirk Sell, an associate professor focused on public health security. They dive into the alarming rise in harassment faced by public health workers, emphasizing how rhetoric has escalated to violence, including the CDC campus shooting. Beth shares concerning data on burnout and PTSD, while Tara discusses innovative safety strategies like the FlagIt reporting system. Together, they highlight small actions to boost staff well-being and gratitude for frontline health workers.
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Harassment Has Escalated To Real-World Violence
- Public health workers face sustained harassment and threats that have persisted since the pandemic.
- Tara Kirk Sell warns this vitriol has escalated into real-world violence and must not be normalized.
Workforce Stress Threatens Public Health Capacity
- Nearly half of state and local public health workers report ongoing stress and PTSD symptoms.
- Beth Resnick links this mental health burden to higher turnover and weakened public health capacity.
Turnover Amplifies Systemic Weaknesses
- High turnover creates vacancies, lost institutional knowledge, and longer delays to refill roles.
- Beth Resnick notes these retention challenges compound under tight budgets and increasing churn among younger workers.