How are the minimum education or experience qualifications for LPHA employees determined?
Local Health Directors. The qualifications for a county health director, a district health director, or a public health authority director are set out in state statutes establishing minimum education and experience requirements.[1] In general, the director must have one of the following:
- A medical doctorate
- A master’s degree in public health administration plus at least one year of employment in health programs or services
- A master’s degree in another public health discipline plus at least three years of employment in health programs or health services
- A master’s degree in public administration plus at least two years of experience in health programs or health services
- A master’s degree in a field related to public health plus at least three years of experience in health programs or health services[2]
- A bachelor’s degree in public health administration or public administration plus at least three years of experience in health programs or health services
There is also a law that created a limited pilot program (one county only) to allow a person with education and experience in public health nursing to serve as a local health director, as long as the appointment is approved by the NC Secretary of Health and Human Services.[3] In fiscal year 2011-2012, Northampton County’s health director was serving pursuant to this law.
The law creating the position of consolidated human services director does not require any specific education or experience, but North Carolina’s standards for local public health agency accreditation specify that the agency’s governing board must appoint a local health director who meets the requirements of the law that applies to county and district health directors.[4] However, the accreditation program does not require local agencies to satisfy every provision in the standards—agencies may skip a small proportion of the standards and still be accredited.[5] Therefore, it is possible that a consolidated agency could satisfy accreditation standards without meeting the specific standard that addresses the director’s qualifications.
Other Local Health Department Employees. The minimum qualifications for other employees of county or district health departments are determined by the Office of State Personnel (OSP), as employees of those departments are subject to the State Personnel Act.[6] The OSP publishes the specific qualifications for public health department employees other than local health directors in the Local Government Desk Resource Manual.
Employees of consolidated human services agencies or public health authorities are not subject to the State Personnel Act and qualifications for positions are determined locally.
[1]G.S. 130A-40(a) (county or district health directors); 130A-45.4 (public health authority director).
[2]The State Health Director must review requests by educational institutions to determine whether a master’s degree offered by the institution is related to public health for purposes of this law.
[3]G.S. 130A-40.1. This law requires the health director in the pilot county to either: (1) have a bachelor of science in nursing degree from a program that includes a public health nursing rotation, plus ten years’ public health experience, at least five of which were in a supervisory capacity at the agency at which the person is a candidate for local health director; or (2) be a registered nurse without a bachelor’s degree but with at least ten years’ experience, including at least seven years in an administrative or supervisory role and at least five years at the agency at which the person is a candidate for local health director.
[4]See 10A NCAC 48B .1304; see also 10A NCAC 48B .0901(b)(1) (requiring the agency to have, or be recruiting, a local health director who meets legal requirements for the position).
[5]The accreditation rules establish benchmarks and specify how many benchmarks must be met in each of three areas: agency core functions and essential services, facilities and administrative services, and board of health. 10A NCAC 48B. 0103. For example, a local public health agency must satisfy at least six of eight benchmarks pertaining to the board of health.
[6]G.S. 126-5(a)(1)c.; 25 NCAC 011.1801 (authority for employee classification plan).
