FUSE · City of Long Beach Department of Health & Human Services
Strengthening a public-health workforce from every direction.
A connected response to funding pressure, hiring constraints, workforce strain, and equitable service delivery.
How can the department keep serving its community while hiring, staffing, and funding remain under pressure?
The challenge
Workforce gaps, fragile pipelines, and funding pressure were connected.
I worked first as an embedded FUSE Executive Fellow, then as an executive consulting partner. I connected internships, mentorship, learning, leadership support, funding, and the systems needed to sustain them.
Read the FUSE project briefThe whole system
Seven parts of one workforce system.
Each part supported the others, from entry and growth to leadership, funding, and long-term ownership.
Listen + map
Staff listening, stakeholder mapping, baseline measures, and a clear view of the workforce challenge.
Mentorship
A six-month pilot for 40 employees, with matching, learning, feedback, and a plan for future cohorts.
Internships
Eligibility expanded from 3 to 40 schools, with one portal, supervisor training, and clear onboarding tools.
Learning
Practical programs in communication, mindfulness, presentations, creativity, interviews, AI, and change.
Leadership + coaching
Executive advising, leadership development, crisis communication, and a six-month Blanchard coaching partnership.
Funding resilience
A CMAA gap analysis, Time Study Buddy pilot, and expansion plan for recurring reimbursement.
Sustain + transfer
Playbooks, process maps, facilitator guides, measures, and clear internal ownership.
Building more equitable pathways into public healthInternship pathway
A clearer path from interest to experience.
A central portal widened access. Supervisor training and shared tools improved recruitment, onboarding, learning goals, and offboarding.
Leadership + coaching
Support leaders while the system is moving.
I provided executive advising, leadership experiences, and communication tools. I also designed a six-month Blanchard partnership for 20 participants, with twice-monthly individual support and a path to expansion.
Leadership development became part of the workforce strategy.
Funding resilience
Build a stronger foundation for the work.
A CMAA gap analysis, Time Study Buddy pilot, training, and expansion plan created a repeatable reimbursement path for additional bureaus.
Executive storytelling and a Long Beach Cares strategy supported wider funding decisions and partnership options.
Selected results
From diagnosis to programs people can carry forward.
employees in the mentorship pilot
internship applications after portal expansion
employee learning hours delivered
reported approval/effectiveness across delivered programs
schools included in internship eligibility
potential recurring CMAA revenue identified over time
Facing a connected workforce challenge?