Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, news and nationwide survey efforts have reported harassment and bullying among local health officials, departments, and personnel, concurrent to a shortage of public health staff in the United States. We examined a nationally representative sample of local public health professionals (LPHPs) from the 2021 Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS) data set to explore reported experiences with harassment, threats, and bullying; self-rated mental and emotional well-being; and intent to leave an organization. Results indicated that experience of harassment was negatively associated with ratings of mental and emotional health and positively associated with an intent to leave an organization. We discuss implications and recommendations to mitigate these risks for the nation's local public health workforce.

Context: Although core scientific skills remain a priority to public health, preventing and responding to today's leading causes of death require the workforce to build additional strategic skills to impact the social, community-based, and economic determinants of health. The 2017 Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey allows novel regional analysis of training needs, both individually and across 8 strategic skill domains. Objective: The purpose of this article is to describe the training needs of public health staff nationally, across the 10 Department of Health and Human Services Regions. Design: The Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey was a Web-based survey fielded to 100 000 staff nationwide across 2 major frames: state health agency-central office and local health department. State-based respondents were fielded on a census approach, with locals participating in a more complex sampling design. Balanced repeated replication weights were used to address nonresponse and sampling. Setting: State and local health departments. Participants: Respondents from state and local health departments. Main Outcome Measures: This article draws from the training needs portion of Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey. Descriptive statistics are generated, showing training needs gaps. Inferential analyses pertain to gaps across Region and supervisory status, using Pearson χ² test and Rao-Scott design–adjusted χ² test. Results: Training needs varied across regions and work setting. Certain strategic skills tended to see larger, consistent gaps regardless of Region or setting, including Budgeting & Finance, Change Management, Systems Thinking, and Developing a Vision for a Healthy Community. Conclusions: Overall, the data suggest substantial interregional variation in training needs. Until now, this picture has been incomplete; disparate assessments across health departments, Regions, and disciplines could not be combined into a national picture. Regionally focused training centers are well situated to address Region-specific needs while supporting the broader building of capacity in strategic skills nationwide.

Two protocetid whale vertebrae, here referred to“Eocetus” wardii, have been recovered from the riverbed of the Pamunkey River in east-central Virginia. Neither bone was found in situ, but both were found with lumps of lithified matrix cemented to their surfaces. Most of this matrix was removed and processed for microfossils. Specimens of dinoflagellates were successfully recovered and this flora clearly demonstrates that both vertebrae came from the middle Eocene Piney Point Formation, which crops out above and below river level in the area where the bones were discovered. These vertebrae are the oldest whale remains reported from Virginia and are as old as any cetacean remains known from the western hemisphere.

Background: Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, local health departments (LHDs) faced several challenges including underfunding and understaffing. COVID-19 exacerbated these challenges and introduced new ones, including harassment of the agency, staff, and leadership. The objective of this study was to qualitatively understand the experiences and impact of harassment faced by LHDs during the pandemic and provide recommendations to prevent future harassment. Study design: A qualitative study was conducted utilizing focus groups for data collection. Methods: LHDs were sampled from the 2022 National Profile of Local Health Departments (Profile) study to ensure diversity in LHD size. Four virtual focus groups were conducted in Fall 2022 with a total of 16 LHD leaders surveyed in Profile, who were still in their positions. Focus group transcripts were then coded by two independent coders and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings: Four common domains arose from the data: aggravating factors of harassment, content and formats of harassment, protective factors, and effects on individuals and on the workforce. Conclusion: Findings suggest that harassment was pervasive with many forms and impacts on the LHD leaders and workforce overall. Recommendations are proposed for the local as well as federal partners because the public health system is threatened without immediate, substantial, and coordinated solutions to address harassment and offer protection.