Joining the Public Health Education Continuum

Many of the almost 1,200 community and technical colleges in the United States offer programs for students pursuing careers in the range of health care services, particularly nursing and allied health. In fact, over half of this nation’s new nurses and health care workers are educated at community colleges, and 80% of first responders, including emergency medical technicians, are trained by these colleges (National Commission on Community Colleges, 2008). Despite this strong presence in these health care professions, few community colleges are involved in education for public health. To begin exploring ways to connect community colleges and public health education, a Framing the Future Task Force, convened by the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health to envision the second century of public health education, included community colleges in its thinking.

Often called democracy’s colleges, America’s community colleges are open-access institutions, inviting all community members to prepare for, begin, or continue postsecondary education in their physical and virtual learning spaces. The community college movement was a natural extension to the value of the public sector’s role in educating the citizenry. Many community colleges offer a comprehensive curriculum that includes general education in preparation for transfer to baccalaureate programs, occupational-technical programs leading to direct entry into careers, developmental education to ready underprepared students for college-level courses, community services such as continuing education and workforce training, and support services that facilitate student achievement (Vaughan, 2000). Some 2-year schools focus on only one of these areas, such as transfer or career/technical education. Whether they are comprehensive community colleges, community and technical colleges, technical institutes, or another manifestation of 2-year colleges, these entities provide postsecondary educational opportunities for almost half of all undergraduates in the United States.

The League for Innovation in the Community College (the League), in partnership with the Framing the Future Task Force and the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, has led the exploration of the community and technical college role in the continuum of education for public health through the Community Colleges and Public Health Project. The project first identified ways community colleges could contribute to public health education, and then developed two prototype curricular models for associate degree and certificate programs (Riegelman, Wilson, Dreyzehner, & Huffard, 2014). One model, Public Health: Generalist and Specializations, is designed as an associate’s degree for transfer to a baccalaureate program in public health, and includes health administration, health education, and environmental health specializations. The other model, Health Navigator, prepares graduates for careers as community health workers, patient care navigators, health insurance navigators, and similar roles, and is presented as an academic certificate, applied associate’s degree, or associate’s degree program designed for transfer to bachelor’s degree programs in health education (Riegelman et al., 2014). The League is continuing the project’s work by supporting community college efforts to plan programs in public health that reflect these curricular frameworks (League for Innovation in the Community College, 2015). The League is also planning to recognize these efforts at its annual Innovations conference in March 2016.

Community colleges are natural partners with public health and are well positioned to take their place in educating students for public health careers. Given their historical role in preparing nurses and a range of allied health professionals, community colleges have the experience and infrastructure to develop and implement programs in public health education. With a focus on community service, these institutions have strong ties and long-standing partnerships with local and regional business, industry, and government—partnerships that can assist in recruiting qualified faculty for new programs, securing experiential learning opportunities for students, and assuring that program curricula meet the needs of area employers.

Community colleges are also nimble institutions, responding quickly to rapid evolution in emerging industries. Through just-in-time training and partnerships with business, industry, and government, community colleges participate in regional economic development by educating the local workforce for new and evolving careers. With this background, community colleges are well positioned to provide training for career opportunities that are emerging from the myriad changes in health care, including those described in the prototype curricular models: health navigation (e.g., community health workers, health insurance navigators, and patient care navigators) and public health specializations (e.g., health education, health administration, and environmental health).

The community college student population includes 46% of undergraduates in the United States, and 41% of first-time freshmen. With their diverse student population, community colleges’ new public health programs offer opportunities to increase minority representation in the public health field. The community college student population is racially and ethnically diverse: 50% of students are White, 21% are Hispanic, 14% are Black, 6% are Asian/Pacific Islander, 1% are Native American, 3% are two or more races. The majority of community college students—57%—are women. The average age is 28, with 49% of students between 22 and 39 years of age, and 14% aged 40 or older. Of the 62% of full-time community college students who are employed, 22% work full-time. Among part-time students, 41% are full-time employees and 32% work part-time (American Association of Community Colleges, 2015).

Community colleges embrace the significant role of education not only in providing opportunities for gainful employment for their graduates but also in creating a well-educated populace that is more likely to vote and be otherwise civically engaged, less likely to be incarcerated, less likely to rely on welfare and other social support programs, and more likely to make positive contributions to society (American Association of Community Colleges, 2012; McClenney, 2004). The community college focus on lifelong learning invites people of all ages through the open door and into more and better opportunities for career advancement leading to family-wage earnings that can result in greater financial stability. Programs in public health offer an option for students interested in health-related careers other than nursing and allied health. Prepared for careers as health navigators or for transfer to public health baccalaureate programs, these students are poised to provide for themselves and their families and to participate fully in their communities.

In joining the array of public health education colleges, democracy’s colleges offer new opportunities for students to explore career options, for graduates to contribute to their communities, and for the public health field to better reflect the communities it serves. Community colleges have a distinct and important role in American postsecondary education, a role that is expanding to include a place for students to begin their education for careers in public health.