2026

As we celebrate National Public Health Week, it’s impossible to ignore one of the most pressing challenges facing our field: a rapidly changing workforce landscape. With many public health workers retiring and local health departments (LHDs) navigating shrinking budgets, California is anticipating a public health workforce gap. Strengthening and sustaining the next generation of public health professionals is more critical than ever.

Organizations are being asked to adapt faster than ever—yet many still rely on evaluation models built for stability, not change. Last fall, CCHE’s Maggie Jones and Elena Kuo participated in a panel presentation at American Evaluation Association’s annual conference with Maryam Khojasteh and Jess Renger, colleagues from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Kaiser Permanente’s National Office of Community & Social Health, on how CCHE’s role as a “stand-by” evaluator has enhanced organizational learning and adaptability within their organizations.

A book chapter authored by CCHE’s Monika Sanchez and Lisa Schafer highlights the importance of integrating trauma-informed approaches into evaluation of health services to avoid re-traumatization and support healing among evaluation participants.

CCHE recently wrapped up evaluation of a demonstration project with Attane Health and a Medicaid health plan, funded by Health Forward to test a simple idea: could home-delivered groceries ordered online plus virtual nutrition coaching make life a little easier for people with high risk pregnancies? Over about two years, 211 members enrolled in this program, most folks placed at least one order, and they often continued to use the benefit after birth.