Succession planning in Nebraska’s local health departments

To (1) understand the current state of succession planning in Nebraska health departments (HDs) and (2) understand succession planning needs in Nebraska HDs. Study Design. Qualitative interviews with a semi-structured format. Purposive sampling was used to identify a list of HD leaders. Interviews were conducted in 2024 with twelve HD leaders representing 10 HDs in Nebraska (50% of state-funded HDs in the state). Themes were developed based on the frequency with which different concepts and key terms were mentioned. We found variation in the definitions and utilization of succession planning amongst those interviewed. However, consistent themes included that Nebraska health department leaders believe succession planning is a beneficial public health workforce sustainability strategy and resources and training on succession planning are considered valuable. Variation in utilization of succession planning exists and resources to help health department leaders are sparse. Succession planning is an important workforce sustainability strategy with direct implications for the safety and health of the public. Providing more training and resources to HDs on succession planning can improve workforce sustainability.