Kathy Jensen is a farmer's wife. At dawn, when her husband is already out tilling the fields, she drives 25 miles to open the doors of the only public health office in Sheridan County, population 4,000. Kathy - with some help from a WIC specialist, a roaming sanitarian, and a part-time nurse - embodies the entire County Health Staff of their community. When emergency hits, Kathy Jensen is the responder. When public health efforts are launched, she is the initiator. For Kathy, obtaining the skills and knowledge necessary to deal with the challenges of contemporary public health is vital to the health and safety of the community. But how can she get adequate training out in rural Sheridan County? To attend public health conferences and seminars in Helena, it means a 10-hour road trip or 2 commuter planes — and that's just to get there. While she's gone, the Sheridan County office closes, and there is virtually no public health workforce in her absence. In the rural communities of Montana, the public health system is only as strong as its workers, and in Sheridan County Kathy Jensen is the public health system.

When Montana first set out to improve its public health system in the mid-1990s, it was not with workforce training in mind; the focus was initially outward. Montana's public health reformers wanted policy makers and citizens to recognize the value and role of the public health system in hopes of obtaining some funding. Through unsuccessful attempts to reach the public, a more immediate problem was discovered that demanded a more inward focus: consistent, quality training.

Through the support of the Turning Point Initiative, Montana established a Public Health Training Institute. The institute provides internet and satellite training capabilities which especially benefit rural communities that don't have University resources. The institute also developed the Montana Public Health Summer Institute which, held in-state, provides unbeatable training and education in a few days, versus traveling out-of-state several times a year.

Turning Point is about making things happen. And in Montana, a lot is happening! Now, Kathy has options for enhancing her public health skills. She attended the Summer Institute, where she refreshed her skills and learned new techniques in communicating the public health message and tracking communicable diseases. The county sanitarian participated in a public health practice module offered through distance learning, and was able to network with other public health professionals without leaving town. The County Health Staff enrolled in computer courses designed specifically for public health professionals just a few miles from their homes. Today, training opportunities are marketed through the Institute's website and a new learning management system allows Kathy and her staff to track their learning. The Institute's courses are continuing to evolve and are meeting the needs of Montana's public health workforce. "Almost everyday in this office, Turning Point has affected this community" says Kathy, "and will continue to impact our community forever. It's for real!"

In the rural communities of Montana, there are Kathy Jensens everywhere. Increasing the capacity of the worker in effect increases the capacity of the state's public health, community by community. Together, they build a healthier Montana, brick by brick.