Although public health officials in Virginia face some challenges, the state is known for indicators of good health such as having a low rate of drug deaths. In fact, this rate decreased by 2% between 2012 and 2014, according to data released by the United Health Foundation.
The state of Virginia spent more than $290.4 million on public health in fiscal year 2013-14. In addition, the federal government invested $290.2 million in combined funding from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and the Health Resources and Services Administration in fiscal year 2014. Such high levels of spending are used to pilot new public health programs, and directly contribute to the salaries and employment opportunities for public health professionals in the state:
- The Virginia state legislature requires healthcare providers to notify the Virginia Department of Health when encountering incidence of infections disease – some 70 different diseases are tracked in this way. Epidemiologists reported 2,724 cases in 2014.
- Environmental health specialists with the Virginia Department of Health monitor the status of environmental health in Virginia by tracking everything from harmful algal blooms to the levels of lead in the blood of children.
The Virginia Department of Health works to improve the state of health in Virginia through a combination of prevention, disease and environmental monitoring, and advocacy for policies that benefit the health of its residents.
Additionally, public health initiatives in Virginia involve professionals at the federal and local level, those with non-governmental organizations, healthcare providers, and academic researchers. Their combined efforts have significantly improved the state of public health in Virginia over the long-term. For instance, the rate of cardiovascular deaths decreased 42% between 1990 and 2014, while the rate of infant mortality during this period decreased by 38%.
A Look at Public Health Salaries Among Professional Working in Virginia Beach
The Virginia Employment Commission provides the salaries for a number of public health professions in the Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News metropolitan statistical area for 2013:
An Analysis of Public Health Salaries in Virginia
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a high level of detail on the hourly wages and annual salaries for an array of public health professionals employed in Virginia in 2014.
