Public administrators in Missouri leverage federal funding to augment funding provided by the state. For instance, Missouri received $12.5 million in grant funding from the Prevention and Public Health Fund to improve public infrastructure and prevent disease. In addition, the CDC funds the Missouri Environmental Public Health Tracking program as part of its efforts to protect communities from environmental hazards. Such funding helps to increase the availability of public health jobs and covers the salaries these professionals are paid.
Professionals with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services work to improve public health in the state by educating its citizens, monitoring the rates of infectious and chronic diseases, and evaluating potentially hazardous substances. Its epidemiologists closely track the prevalence of communicable diseases and provide weekly tracking data to health officials and the public. By doing so, these scientists are able to identify outbreaks in their early stages when they may be able to contain infectious diseases before they reach an epidemic stage.
State public health officials work from a strategic plan that was updated in 2012 and prioritizes keeping the residents of Missouri safe and informed while also positioning resources to ensure maximum returns. They work in concert with their colleagues at the local level, in academia, and in non-governmental organizations to improve the health of Missouri’s citizens.
A Comparison of Salaries Among Public Health Professionals in St. Louis
The Missouri Department of Economic Development provides a salary analysis for many public health positions in the city of St. Louis. Salaries can vary widely, and public health professionals with a high level of education such as a Master of Public Health are likely to earn salaries on the high end of those reported (2013):
A Full Analysis of Public Health Salaries in Missouri
For comparison, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides an analysis of hourly wages and annual salaries for a number of public health positions in Missouri (2014).
