Episodes
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The Government of Guam (GovGuam)â along with many other states, territories, and freely associated states â experience s challenges with procurement, which were illuminated by the COVID-19 pandemic response. To improve their small purchase procurement process, GovGuam invested time and resources into business process improvement (BPI), forming cross-agency leadership and project teams with key staff from the Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services (DPHSS), the Office of the Governor of Guam, and other government agencies to inform decisions. Learn about the benefits and challenges of their efforts, and listen to their hopes for the future.
Guests
· Arthur San Agustin: Special Assistant of Health to the Governor of Guam, Former Director of Guam DPHSS, ASTHO Alum
· Bertha Taijeron: Program Coordinator, Guam DPHSS
· Jon Junior Calvo: Chief of Staff, Office of the Governor of Guam
Resources
Grants Management Office Structure Optimization Toolkit assists in establishing and maintaining a centralized grants management office to optimize the use of federal funding. ASTHO STAR Center provides high quality resources, tools, and model practices that modernize and strengthen administrative and organizational capacity. Business process improvement efforts in the U.S. Virgin Islands offer insight into improving federal grants management: Interagency Collaboration to Improve Business Processes in the U.S. Virgin Islands How the U.S. Virgin Islands Is Improving Federal Grants Management U.S. Virgin Islands Federal Grants Planning and Set Up Process Improvement USVI â Business Processes Improvement Boundary Spanning Leadership workshops focus on leveraging boundaries to benefit a group or an entire organization. Using Boundary Spanning Leadership to Improve Population Health details GovGuamâs Boundary Spanning efforts. Public Health Review Morning Edition
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The social determinants of health (SDOH)âthe social, economic, and built environments in which people live, learn, work, and playâhave significant impacts on health outcomes. Yet, sustainably funding initiatives that address SDOH is an ongoing challenge. In this episode, Admiral Rachel Levine, MD, assistant secretary for health at HHS, and Danielle Nelson, Senior Program Analyst at the Federal Transit Administration, discuss the federal governmentâs commitment to aligning investments and resources across agencies. In addition, Elizabeth Hertel, director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, provides a practical example of how Michiganâs state health agency works collaboratively with the housing authority to ensure access to stable housing.
Guests:
Admiral Rachel Levine, MD: Assistant Secretary for Health, HHS
Elizabeth Hertel: Director, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
Danielle Nelson: Senior Program Analyst, Federal Transit Administration
Resources:
Braiding and Layering Funding to Address the Social Determinants of Health
Public Health Review Morning Edition
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Episodes manquant?
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In 2016, Mike Fraser joined ASTHO as CEO. Throughout the seven subsequent years, he served as an indispensable leader, visionary, mentor, and friendâsteering the organization through unprecedented challenges in public health, including the global COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the time has come to bid Mike a bittersweet farewell. In this episode of Public Health Review, we speak with Mike about his profound legacy, celebrate ASTHOâs extraordinary achievements under his tenure, and wish him well in his new position as CEO at the College of American Pathologists.
Behind the Scenes: What it Takes to do COVID Testing
Public Health Review Morning Edition
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The One Health approach recognizes the interconnection between human and animal health and their shared environment. There is an urgent need for a One Health approach now, especially in the prevention of outbreaks, not just response. Public health agencies and the animal agriculture industry play crucial roles in One Health, along with other stakeholders. In this episode, our guests tell us how they put One Health into practice in a state health department, how health departments can connect across agencies to address One Health issues, and what falls under the One Health umbrella.
âŻGuests
Dr. Karen Smith, MD, MPH: Founding Partner, Healthy Community Partners, Inc
J.J. Jones: Executive Director of the National Institute for Animal Agriculture
Dr. Megin Nichols DVM, MPH, DACVPM: Deputy Division Director, Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases, CDC
Resources
ASTHO One Health Case Studies
ASTHO One Health Webinars
ASTHO Responding to Emerging Food Safety Threats Policy Statement
CDC Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases
CDC One Health Office
National Institute for Animal Agriculture
Public Health Review Morning Edition
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Public health has a workforce problem: the demand for a new generation of public health practitioners is higher than ever, but health agencies are having a hard time filling positions, either due to funding or lack of visibility. Luckily, there are solutions to bridge fresh graduates to public health careers. In this episode of Public Health Review, Dr. JP Leider from the University of Minnesota and Dr. Heather Krasna of Columbia University spoke with ASTHO about solutions to recruit new public health professionals and the partnerships forming around that endeavor.
Guests:
JP Leider, PhD: Director, Center for Public Health Systems, University of Minnesota School of Public Health
Heather Krasna, PhD: Associate Dean, Career and Professional Development, Columbia University School of Public Health
Resources:
Public Health Careers
Consortium for Workforce Research in Public Health
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Successful overdose prevention efforts require support from public health, public safety, and community harm reduction programs. These partnerships are key to promoting sustainable and effective overdose prevention.
On this episode of Public Health Review, we speak with representatives from each of these fields to discuss their perspectives, experiences, and the importance of maintaining strong relationships while also negotiating differing strategies and approaches: Brandon del Pozo, a former police officer and current assistant professor of medicine and public health at Brown University; Joy Rucker of the Black Harm Reduction Network; and Dr. Cathy Slemp, former state health commissioner of West Virginia and current vice chair of the West Virginia Hope in Action Alliance.
Guests:
Brandon del Pozo, PhD: Assistant Professor of Medicine and Health Services, Policy, and Practice, Brown University
Joy Rucker: National Harm Reduction Consultant, JR Harm Reduction Consulting
Cathy Slemp, MD, MPH (alumni-WV): Co-Founder and Vice Chair, West Virginia Hope in Action Alliance
Resources:
https://www.astho.org/globalassets/brief/od2a-public-health-public-safety-partnerships.pdf
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ASTHOâs Essentials of Leadership and Management (ELM) training gives public health experts the skills they need to better perform their supervisory positions and support their teams. On this episode, we check in with ELM graduates in Kentucky: Shannon Rome at the Franklin County Health Department, and Elizabeth Anderson-Hoagland with the Kentucky Department of Public Health. They share how the program has improved their work and helped them grow as leaders. We also hear from ASTHOâs Avia Mason about ELM, its impact on public health practitioners, and how programs like ELM can improve organizational culture and workplace wellbeing.
Guests:
Shannan Rome, Health Access Nurturing Development Services (HANDS) Manager, Franklin County Health Department
Elizabeth Anderson-Hoagland, Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Kentucky Department of Public Health Division of Prevention and Quality Improvement
Avia Mason, Vice President of Leadership and Organizational Performance, ASTHO
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American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations experience profound health disparities in part due to significant social and economic barriers. Having solid data helps inform policies that can improve the systems that serve these populations and mitigate stigmas impacting the health of AI/AN mothers and infants. Centering community voices can produce more effective and equitable healthcare, reducing the disparities impacting AI/AN communities.
In this episode, three expertsâEd Ehlinger (alumni-MN), a previous past president of ASTHO; Janelle Palacios, a nurse midwife and researcher; and Katelyn Strasser, administrator of the Office of Child and Family Services with the South Dakota Department of Healthâdiscuss the Federal Advisory Committee on Infant and Maternal Mortalityâs most recent report on AI/AN health outcomes and the data-focused recommendations for states and territories.
Guests:
· Edward P. Ehlinger, MD, MSP: former Minnesota Health Commissioner and past president of ASTHO
· Janelle Palacios, PhD: Salish & Kootenai, originally from the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana; Nurse Midwife, Researcher, and Storyteller
· Katelyn Strasser, MPH: Administrator of the Office of Child and Family Services, South Dakota Department of Health
Resources:
· Making Amends: Recommended Strategies and Actions to Improve the Health and Safety of American Indian and Alaska Native Mothers and Infants
· Strengthening Risk-Appropriate Care in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities
ASTHO thanks the CDC for its support of this episode of Public Health Review.
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Maternal mortality rates are disproportionally high in the United States and still increasing. The majority of maternal deaths are preventable, indicating the need for system improvements. Equitable access to risk appropriate care improves maternal health outcomes and can be achieved by engaging providers in the process of developing and implementing risk appropriate care strategies at a state systems level. In this episode, two maternal healthcare veterans share approaches for bringing providers into the process, as well as how state health officials can promote risk appropriate care strategies and address challenges in achieving equitable risk appropriate care.
Show Notes
Guests
· Eugene C. Toy, MD, FACOG, FABFM, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Medical Director of ACOG Texas Levels of Maternal Care Verification Program
· Lily Lou (alumni-AK), MD, FAAP, Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
Resources
· Risk Appropriate Care Stakeholder Convenings
· Strengthening Risk-Appropriate Care in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities
· CDC Levels of Care Assessment ToolSM (CDC LOCATeSM)
· Levels of Maternal Care (ACOG)
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STIs are on the rise. Now more than ever, it is imperative to raise awareness of the current state of STIs, especially their disproportionate impact on marginalized populations. Whole person care and status-neutral approaches to STI treatment and prevention empower people to access resources and services, as well as increase engagement, outreach, and education, all of which are key components of these care models. Hear from Leandro Mena of CDC and Thomas Dobbs (alumni-MS) on the benefits of these approaches.
Guests
Leandro Mena, MD, MPH, Director of the Division of STD Prevention (DSTDP) in National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP), CDC Thomas Dobbs, MD, Dean of the John D. Bower School of Population Health at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and ASTHO AlumniResources
· Innovative STD Prevention and Treatment Strategies Microlearnings
· Blog on the rise of STIs
· ASTHO and NCSD Joint Statement on Rise of Syphilis in the U.S.
· Sexually Transmitted Infections: Strategies for Your State
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Like other vulnerable populations, American Indian and Alaskan Native (AI/AN) communities faced greater risk for complications during the COVID-19 pandemic. One such complication was ensuring that AI/AN populations had access to the vaccine. Listen to three public health experts share how they prioritized vaccine equity for AI/AN communities on the local, state, and national levels during the pandemic.
Guests
Anne Zink, MD, FACEP, Chief Medical Officer for Alaska Department of Health, ASTHO President
Gary Lankford, Program Director for the Advances in Indian Health Care, Association of American Indian
Physicians
Johnny Delgado, Project Director, Bakersfield American Indian Health Project
Resources
New ASTHO Program Aims to Increase Equity in Adult Immunization
Partnering with Community Action Agencies Can Improve Trust in Vaccines
Public Health and Healthcare Partner to Promote Influenza Vaccination
10 KEY ACTIONS to Improve Immunization Uptake and Advance Health Equity: Community Engagement
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This podcast focuses on the Washington State Department of Healthâs (WA DOH) approach to understanding and addressing climate and equity concerns. Guests discuss the need to continuously make connections between climate change and public health, the role of community engagement and partnerships in advancing these efforts, the use of existing networks to reach at-risk populations, and how to stay grounded in the public health messaging on climate change. WA DOH discusses some of its recent initiatives for engaging environmental justice communities, shares its approach for training and coordinating resiliency planning, and highlights ways the department raises awareness of the climateâs impact on health.
Resources:
âą WA DOH Climate and Health Web Page
âą WA State Environmental Justice Task Force Final Report
âą ASTHOReport: Climate Change and Environmental Justice: A Snapshot of Jurisdiction ActivitiesGuests:
Umair A. Shah, MD, MPH, Secretary of Health, Washington State Department of Health
Rad Cunningham, MPH, MPA, Senior Epidemiologist, Washington State Department of Health
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The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials was incorporated on March 23, 1942. For 80 years, ASTHO has worked to advance public health and create a healthier nation. What has that looked like in the past, and we where are we going in the years ahead? Join ASTHOâs leadership panelâincluding CEO Mike Fraser, President Anne Zink, Past President Nirav Shah, and Idaho Commissioner of Health Elke Shaw-Tulloch - for a discussion on the unique role ASTHO plays in the public health landscape, and how we can seize historic investments in health to create a more equitable future.
Guests
Mike Fraser, PhD, MS, CAE, FCPP, ASTHO CEO
Anne Zink, MD, FACEP, Chief Medical Officer, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Public Health
Nirav Shah, MD, JD, ASTHO Past President, Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Elke Shaw-Tulloch, MHS, Public Health Administrator, Idaho Department of Health & Welfare
Resources
About Us | ASTHO
Anne Zink, MD, Chief Medical Officer for Alaska Department of Health, Announced as ASTHOâs 80th President
Thanking Our Public Health Workforce
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Public health agencies had to rapidly innovate during COVID-19, and one of those innovations was virtual restaurant inspections. Beginning in March 2020, COVID-19 social distancing and stay-at-home orders required many food establishments to adopt takeout and/or food delivery models. To ensure that establishments were abiding by food safety rules and to protect the health of professionals who inspect these facilities, some state health agencies implemented virtual inspection protocols. This podcast showcases how one state health department pivoted during the pandemic and how they are continuing to use this innovation now and in the future.
Guests
Edward Simmer, MD, MPH, DFAPA, Agency Director, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. Susan Best, Program Manager, Division of Food and Lead Risk Assessment, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.Resources
ASTHOBrief: Virtual Food Safety Inspections During the COVID-19 Pandemic South Carolina Resource: DHEC COVID-19 Virtual Food Safety Check ASTHOBrief: Environmental Health Innovations During the COVID-19 Pandemic South Carolina Resource: Food Safety & COVID-19 -
As Ebola cases grow in Uganda, state and island area health officials are preparing for the possibility of a case in the United States. While there are no U.S. cases currently, there was an outbreak of Ebola in Dallas in 2014 when Dr. David Lakey was Commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services. He joins this episode of Public Health Review to discuss his experience managing the outbreak and what lessons and advice he has as health officials prepare for potential cases of Ebola in the United States.
Guests:
David Lakey, MD, Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and Chief Medical Officer, The University of Texas System, Alumni-TXResources:
ASTHO Podcast: Lessons From the Trenches: Leading During a Public Health Crisis CDC Webpage: Ebola (Ebola Virus Disease) -
Building a comprehensive workforce response to the youth mental health crisis requires educators, traditional school behavioral health workers, and public health professionals to work collaboratively. A public health approach is needed to address youth mental health by supporting frontline staff through a âhelping the helpersâ model. Public health and education sectors can work in tandem to train frontline school staff and create systems of support for staff well-being. This episode highlights strategies for addressing youth mental health through the workforce and promising state practices for cross-sector collaborations.
Guests:
Sharon Hoover, PhD, Co-Director, National Center for School Mental Health Director, NCTSN Center for Safe Supportive Schools, University of Maryland School of Medicine Allison Budzinski, MSW, CAPSW, Trauma and Resilience Coordinator Wisconsin Department of Health Services Jessica Frain, MSW, School Mental Health Consultant, Student Services/Prevention and Wellness, Wisconsin Department of Public InstructionResources:
Improving School Workforce Capacity to Address Youth Mental Health ASTHO Report: Improving Youth Behavioral Health Through School Based Strategies NCSMH Advancing Comprehensive School Mental Health Systems: Guidance from the Field Resilient Wisconsin Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction School Mental Health -
Health equity is a top priority for many health agencies. In an ideal implementation, public health leaders can use performance management systems to advance health equity goals. These systems ensure that progress is being made toward department goals by systematically collecting and monitoring data to track results and identify opportunities for improvement.
Our latest episode highlights how the current equity efforts can integrate with established performance management practices. It also discusses how health agencies can use planning documents to integrate equity in health assessments, health improvement plans, strategic plans, and performance management systems.
Guests:
Nicole Alexander Scott, MD, Former Director, Rhode Island Department of Health Harry Chen, MD, Former Commissioner, Vermont Department for Health Anna Bradley, MS, CHES, State Health Improvement Coordinator, Montana Department of Public Health and Human ServicesResources:
Data Visualization for Performance Improvement Learning Series Rhode Island Health Equity Measures Montana State Health Improvement Plan CDC Webpage: Paving the Road to Health Equity ASTHOReport Health Equity Metrics (coming soon to astho.org) -
The Senior Leader Reserve Corps connects former government public health leaders with current state health officials in need of leadership-level technical assistance and support. ASTHO developed this program with CDC to support state health officials as they face their biggest professional challenges.
In this episode, Dr. Greg Holzman (alum-MT), Paula Tran (SHO-WI), and Meredith Alexander (ASTHO) discuss this innovative program and highlight the work that Paula and Greg have done in Wisconsin to strengthen the statewide public health infrastructure.
To request support for your health agency, or for more information on volunteering with the Senior Leader Reserve Corps, please reach out to the Performance Excellence team, at [email protected].
Guests
Greg Holzman: Alum-Montana, SLRC Member Paula Tran: SHO-WI Meredith Alexander: Senior Analyst, Performance Excellence and Engagement, ASTHOResources
Senior Leader Reserve Corps Wisconsin Department of Health Services -
Opioid use disorder (OUD) during pregnancy contributes to maternal death and poor birth outcomes. Although prenatal care can reduce these effects, pregnant individuals may delay care due to concerns about stereotyping and stigmatizing by providers. The relationship between a physician and their patient may also be strained by mandated reporting of substance use to law enforcement or social services, and related fears of parent-child separation and criminalization. Such fears may present additional barriers to receiving prenatal care.
In this episode, Dr. Joseph Kanter, the current state health official of Louisiana, and Dr. Amy Ladley, Program Manager for the Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative, discuss Louisianaâs approach to reducing stigma and fears of criminalization around opioid use in pregnant and postpartum individuals. They also highlight the importance of partnerships in these efforts.
Resources:
Stigma Reinforces Barriers to Care for Pregnant and Postpartum Women with Substance Use Disorder
Supporting Pregnant and Postpartum Women with Opioid Use Disorder: An Infographic Series
Opioid Use Disorder Toolkit: Supporting the Public Health Response in Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health
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Since 2000, rates of suicide and substance overdose mortality have steadily increased in the United States. A prevailing theory within public health is that substance use disorder and suicide are both âdeaths of despairâ and a way to cope with socioeconomic infrastructure challenges, such as poverty, lack of social connection, housing instability, and discriminationâissues which have only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a method of preventing suicide and substance use disorder, states turn to addressing upstream factors like creating healthy communities where individuals feel they matter. In this podcast episode, Sheila Nelson, a program manager for adolescent health and injury prevention at the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and Kini-Ana Tinkham, the executive director of the Maine Resilience Building Network, discuss how they are working in their communities to set youth up to thrive. Using behavioral health data from the Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey (MIYHS), they are collaborating on a Cultivating Mattering for Maine Youth Initiative where they build resilience, incorporate youth voices, and support communities in their suicide and substance use prevention efforts.
Guests:
Sheila Nelson, Program Manager, Adolescent Health and Injury Prevention, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Kini-Ana Tinkham, Executive Director, Maine Resilience Building NetworkResources:
Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey Maine Resilience Building Network - Montre plus
