Problem Statement: Now that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has finally been fully implemented, millions of Americans will have access to health coverage and health services. As a country, we are now able to begin the transformation from a “sick care” system to a system focused on prevention and health promotion. People who were once denied coverage, those without employee health benefits, or those who were too financially insecure to afford premiums can now seek care, and medical and public health workers must adapt to accommodate these growing numbers by increasing their own. To date, despite growing national awareness of the importance of the public health system in supporting a healthy population, the public health workforce is crippled by substantial decreases in funding, reductions in resources and staffing, inadequate training, and inequitable distribution of resources. health workers in the areas of greatest need. According to the American Public Health Association (APHA), 44,000 public health jobs were lost at the state and local level between 2008 and 2010. Numbers compiled by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) show that 41% of local health departments (LHD) employees have experienced some level of reduction in workforce capacity. NACCHO reports that all LHDs are experiencing 13% reduced capacity in staff operations, with reductions in hours worked and mandatory leaves of absence. Due to these budget cuts and workforce shortages, agencies must now do more with less. This not only puts a strain on agencies; it also detracts from recruiting and retaining workers. Given the estimate provided by the Association or...... middle of paper ......frastructuGreysen, SR, Chen, C., & Mullan, F. (2011). A history of medical student debt: Observations and implications for the future of medical education. Academic Medicine, 86(7), 840-845 810.1097/ACM.1090b1013e31821daf31803.Davidson, S. (2013). A new era in health care in the United States: Critical next steps under the Affordable Care Act: Stanford University Press. Fani Marvasti, F., & Stafford, R. S. (2012). From health care to health care: Reengineering prevention in the U.S. system. New England Journal of Medicine, 367(10), 889-891. doi: doi:10.1056/NEJMp1206230Holtz-Eakin, D., & Ramlet, M. J. (2010). Analysis and comments. Health care reform will likely widen federal budget deficits, not reduce them. Health Aff (Millwood), 29(6), 1136-1141. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2010.0446McDonough, J. E. (2011). Inside National Health Reform: University of California Press.