The Public Health Foundation (PHF) welcomes the Frederick County Health Department (FCHD) as the first local health department affiliate in the TRAIN network. FCHD joins 25 state and three federal agencies that collaboratively build workforce capacity by providing training opportunities to more than 950,000 public health and healthcare professionals.

FCHD will be using TRAIN as a platform to provide training opportunities to its nine divisions within the health department, including behavioral health, community health, environmental health, and public health preparedness.

“We decided to go with TRAIN as our research on training opportunities for public health professionals revealed that TRAIN provided cutting-edge training for public health professionals and practitioners in an easily accessible, efficient and cost effective manner,” said FCHD Health Officer Barbara Brookmyer, M.D, MPH, adding, “We are delighted to partner with an organization who shares our vision of continuous public health education.”

By becoming a local health department TRAIN affiliate, FCHD has access to a platform that allows them to manage and report on staff training, conserve funds by using training developed by other agencies, offer staff competency-based learning opportunities, and identify gaps in training. TRAIN affiliates can also develop custom tests and evaluations for courses. Additionally, FCHD is able to use TRAIN to share resources, trainings, and materials with other health departments. TRAIN provides FCHD with the educational infrastructure to develop and maintain a well-trained, well-prepared public health workforce.

TRAIN is also a critical tool for health departments like FCHD that are maintaining or applying for Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) accreditation. “As a Public Health Accreditation Board accredited health department, we expect that the TRAIN platform will enable Frederick County to more easily document our public health core competency-based workforce development efforts,” said Dr. Brookmyer.

If your health department is interested in the TRAIN network, please complete the TRAIN inquiry form or contact the Public Health Foundation's TRAIN team. Also, for more information on the benefits outlined above, review the Local Health Department TRAIN Affiliate Subscription page.