Frontline Blog
Health department / university partnership supports community health and staff well-being
January 2024
Faced with pressing public health needs and a workforce that deserved a post-pandemic morale boost, the Shelby County Health Department came up with a brilliant way to address both.
The county health department (which serves Memphis and surrounding communities) recently partnered with the University of Memphis to support the ongoing education of their employees. This program both enriches public health staff and enhances services and trust in a community that experiences stark differences in life expectancy by race.
In the video clip above, Shelby County Health Department Director Michelle Taylor, MD, DrPH, MPA, expounds on how they have deployed public health infrastructure grant (PHIG) funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to support employees as they advance their education.