Public Health Signals Worth Noticing as a CHES or MCHES
If you’ve been feeling a little uneasy about the future of public health work lately… you’re not imagining it.
Between Medicaid changes, tighter state budgets, and constant restructuring, I’ve noticed a lot of public health professionals quietly sitting with the same question:
Where are the next real opportunities going to be?
I’ve been asking it too.
As the year wraps up, I’m not looking at trends for hype or panic — I’m watching for signals. The kind that hint at where funding, roles, and skill sets may be headed next, especially for those of us with CHES or MCHES credentials.
Here are three things I’m paying close attention to.
MAHA ELEVATE (CMS): Prevention Is Back on the Table
CMS recently launched MAHA ELEVATE (Make America Healthy Again: Enhancing Lifestyle and Evaluating Value-Based Approaches Through Evidence), and this one matters if prevention, health promotion, or behavior change is part of your work.
Here’s what CMS has shared so far:
A Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is expected in early 2026
About $100 million anticipated for 3-year cooperative agreements
A focus on health promotion, lifestyle, and prevention interventions not currently covered by Original Medicare
A strong emphasis on evaluation and evidence
Why this stands out for CHES/MCHES professionals: this is the kind of space where program planning, implementation, education, and evaluation are core — not an afterthought. Think behavior change frameworks, community-based interventions, and outcomes measurement. Not just clinical care.
If prevention is your lane, this is one to keep on your radar early.
Rural Health Transformation: Big Money, State-Driven
CMS has also announced the Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program, and the scale alone makes it worth paying attention to.
$50 billion total over five years (FY 2026–2030)
About $10 billion per year
Funding flows through states, not directly to individuals
What this means in practice is that states will need partners — for workforce development, training, evaluation, community engagement, chronic disease prevention, and implementation support.
If you’ve ever wondered how your public health skills fit into rural health work without relocating or working clinically, this is one of those doors that doesn’t always get talked about enough.
SDOH Policy Is Still Moving (Even If Slowly)
There’s also federal legislation on the table focused on social determinants of health coordination, including a 2024 Senate bill that would support SDOH work through CDC.
It’s not law yet — and that’s important to say out loud — but the signal is clear: SDOH isn’t going away. What is shifting is the focus toward coordination, infrastructure, and sustainability instead of one-off pilots.
For public health professionals, that usually translates to continued demand for:
Cross-sector collaboration
Training and technical assistance
Evaluation and systems thinking
So… what does this mean for you?
If you’re a public health professional who’s:
Feeling unsure about long-term stability
Wondering how to better leverage your CHES or MCHES
Thinking about consulting, teaching, or diversifying income
Trying to stay ahead instead of reacting late
This is your reminder that opportunities are shifting — not disappearing.
The people who tend to land on their feet aren’t the ones who have everything figured out. They’re the ones who:
Watch funding early
Build transferable skills (education, evaluation, TA)
Stay flexible about where and how they work
I’ll keep sharing opportunities and signals as I see them — not to overwhelm you, but to help you stay positioned.
You don’t need to have everything figured out right now.
You just need to stay aware and ready.
💜