NACCHO's Podcast from Washington: New Research Examines Burnout and Workforce Challenges Facing Local Health Professionals

Washington, DC, December 12, 2025 —This month's podcast episode from the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) includes discussion of NACCHO's positions on recent actions at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including  changes to CDC's vaccine and autism webpage and the impact of CDC's vaccine advisory panel vote to change its hepatitis B vaccine recommendation for newborns. It also includes an update of efforts to fully fund the federal government FY26, as the Senate is expected to consider a package of additional spending bills that would support important public health programs. Ask your congressional representative to support funding for federal health agencies in the Senate Labor-HHS bill. For weekly updates, subscribe to NACCHO's News from Washington newsletter: www.naccho.org/advocacy/news.

Later in the program (7:10), experts discuss a new journal article titled, Burnout, Belonging, and Mental Well-Being: Predictors of Turnover Intent Among Local Public Health Professionals, published by NACCHO. The article examines how burnout, belonging, and mental well-being can influence turnover and disrupt program services at local health departments, ultimately having direct implications on community health outcomes. NACCHO researchers also offer recommendations to sustain workforce capacity.

In addition, NACCHO published a separate journal article titled, Local Health Department Governance Classifications: Are They Even Important?