Connecticut has made great strides in improving some aspects of its public health, enjoying the seventh lowest rate of obesity and stroke in the country as of 2013. Some significant health challenges remain, however, and the state’s public health officials are addressing these through a combination of education, public policy, and research.
The level of per capita spending for public health in Connecticut increased 24.4% between 2007 and 2014, totaling $111.6 million in fiscal year 2013-14 according to the United Health Foundation. This increased spending means more jobs and adequate funding for the salaries of public health officials in the state.
The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) is a key provider of health information and environmental health efforts in the state. The state required epidemiologists at this department to track 82 types of diseases or cases of environmental poisoning such as mercury or carbon monoxide in 2014. Twenty-five of these items are deemed serious enough that health care providers must report them immediately by telephone. These priority cases range from such high-profile potential bioterrorism agents as anthrax and ricin poisoning, to foodborne outbreaks that involve at least two people.
One of the key priorities of the DPH is to build strategic partnerships with stakeholders in Connecticut to improve public health. The organization, Lead Public Health, is one of the results of these new partnership and outreach efforts. The combined efforts of state and local public health officials, non-governmental organizations, academics, and health care providers are helping to re-shape the state of public health in Connecticut.
Public Health Salary Expectations for the Hartford Area
The Connecticut Department of Labor provides salary data for a variety of public health professionals who worked in the Hartford Labor Market Area in 2014. These figures are comparable to what these professionals earn in Bridgeport and other metro areas of the state. While there is a great deal of variation in these public health salaries, professionals with degrees such as a Master of Public Health are much more likely to have salaries in the 90th percentile.
Statewide Public Health Professional Salary Analysis for Connecticut
For comparison, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a full analysis of the hourly wages and annual salaries of public health professionals throughout Connecticut (2014).
