information for practice

Significant number of public health and health care workers — referred to here as the frontline workforce — also deliver vital care and services, but are often underrepresented in current research and outreach initiatives within the health and health care system. This frontline workforce is a diverse group of professionals and paraprofessionals who provide a range of direct patient care and client services. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation believes this fast-growing segment of the health and health care workforce, a group that plays a critical role in ensuring delivery of highquality care and services, warrants further research and outreach. This frontline workforce is growing rapidly; collectively it is growing faster (32.6%) than the growth rate of all health and health care occupations (28.3%), and significantly faster than the growth rate for all occupations (14.8%) in the United States workforce (Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics, 2003). Although we know the frontline workforce will continue to play a critically important role within public health and the health care delivery system, little has been known about who these workers are and what employment issues and needs they face. This chartbook attempts to fill this research gap by providing information about frontline occupations on both national and state levels.