WISCONSIN — A $45 million grant will help the state build a stronger public health workforce, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced Monday.

The funding is a part of a larger $3.2 billion grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that aims to support the public health infrastructure and workforce nationwide.

“Wisconsin’s state, local, and tribal health departments are the backbone of the work being done all across our state to support healthy individuals, families, and communities,” said Secretary-designee Karen Timberlake. “We applaud the CDC for this investment into our state’s public health infrastructure. This is a win not only for our public health workforce, but for every community that will benefit from enhanced capacity to work collaboratively to build stronger, safer, and healthier communities.”

Part of the five-year investment will go toward an assessment that will evaluate Wisconsin’s health system structure, including staffing levels, capacity and workforce well-being.

Another part of the funding will help Wisconsin build better recruitment pipelines and provide ongoing competencies training. It will also aim to retain existing workers by strengthening diversity and wellbeing.

“Over the next five years, this investment will shape our work to build and support a stronger, resilient public health system,” said State Health Officer Paula Tran. “At the core of this system is our exceptional public health workforce. As we look to the future of public health needs in Wisconsin, we must invest in supporting and retaining our current workforce while recruiting and preparing the future workforce to ensure that all residents in Wisconsin have all the resources and opportunities they need to thrive.”

About 40% of the funding will be allocated to local and tribal health department, according to DHS.