The following is a synopsis of the important themes that emerged. There's always room to grow and learn. As a group, public health personnel are quite open to professional development. However there are many significant barriers to participation. Even in the most supportive of counties, the sheer amount of work that direct line staff have to accomplish is a major barrier to training and development.
Travel is a another barrier to participation.
First, leaving the county often requires special approvals. Second, it's expensive in terms of time off the job as well as direct expenses. For this reason, if training is offered at a distance, rarely more than one or two employees are able to attend. Rural participants are often reluctant to venture into cities and prefer locations on major highways such as Thruway exits. It's gotta be affordable.