ASTHO’s podcast series, Public Health Review, features health officials and public health leaders who are on the front lines of state and territorial public health. The series capitalizes on current public health issues and delivers timely, thoughtful perspectives on the value of public health through the lens of state and territorial health officials and other subject matter experts. Listen to us on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify.
With Omicron surges pushing jurisdictions to activate protocols for providing healthcare during crisis, it is important to incorporate disability inclusion into these crisis standards of care.Read More »
Public Health leaders know that location matters and has a significant impact on an individual’s health—and initiatives that have the highest impact focus on localized conditions and speak directly to community needs. In this episode, guests examine the Health Equity Zone model and share what states can borrow from it to reimagine how they engage with communities.Read More »
COVID-19 revealed the dire straits of public health; now, with renewed funding, public health leaders discuss how to use COVID funding to build and maintain sustainable infrastructure.Read More »
This episode highlights COVID-19’s impact on overdose-related deaths during the postpartum period, also known as the fourth trimester. There has been a significant increase in postpartum overdose-related deaths in recent years—a problem that has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.Read More »
Anne Zink (Chief Medical Officer, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services) and Larry Lewis (licensed psychologist and executive coach) speak on the importance of celebrating “small wins”—tangible stories of progress that can sustain the public health workforce in an otherwise trying time.Read More »
As states continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of crisis communications is vital. How can states provide the public with relevant, timely information? What are the essential elements of a crisis communications response?Read More »
This episode dissects concerns at the southwest United States border, where health and governmental officials find themselves managing an extraordinarily complex situation: Handling an increase in migration activity during a global pandemic. Pritesh Gandhi (Chief Medical Officer, United States Department of Homeland Security) and Erica Pan (Deputy Director, Center for Infectious Diseases at the California Department of Public Health) share how community-based partnerships are vital to managing an issue with both public health and national security implications. Our speakers discuss how leaders at all levels of government ultimately lean on partners at the local level to carry out their missions—and what that looks like at the border right now.Read More »
Nirav Shah, Director of Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and Joe Smyser, CEO of Public Good Projects, discuss countering COVID-19 vaccine misinformation.Read More »
With the pandemic upending social interaction, youth mental health is an increasingly important issue. This episode explores why understanding the intersection of suicide, overdose, and ACEs is critical to helping individuals live happy and healthy lives. It also focuses on the importance of connecting community needs, implementing awareness campaigns, and addressing stigma to reduce health disparities.Read More »
This bonus episode is taken from a virtual news conference on Thursday, July 29, 2021. In it, Dr. Nirav Shah (Maine), Dr. Karyl Rattay (Delaware), and Dr. Joseph Kanter (Louisiana), discuss the latest issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic—mask guidance, back to school issues, and the surging Delta variant.Read More »
Medicaid plays a critical role in providing access to health services for low-income U.S. citizens in the five U.S. territories. However, Medicaid financing in the territories has been underfunded compared to states. In this episode, guests discuss the urgent need for a permanent Medicaid solution, drawing attention to the need for equitable health financing for the U.S territories. This funding is necessary to support comprehensive public health and healthcare within these jurisdictions that include expanded prevention, testing, and treatment programs and capabilities.Read More »
On this bonus episode, Jim Ivey, chief operating officer at Chexout, discusses the importance of interoperability and makes the case that public health organizations need to invest in software that will adapt to their changing needs in both ongoing disease outbreaks and emerging infections.Read More »
In this episode, guests discuss the urgent need to find new recruits in forensic pathology and urge state health officials to consider reforms that could help bring reinforcement to a critical yet often neglected profession with a huge impact on public health.Read More »
The idea of “vaccine passports” is starting to become a divisive issue, but the reality is many businesses are going to start requiring patrons to show some kind of proof of vaccination against COVID-19. On this bonus episode of Public Health Review, Kevin Richardson, outside counsel on global government affairs for Zebra Technologies Corporation, discusses how a business or government can create vaccine credentials that are more sophisticated than the paper cards from CDC, but that also protect people’s personal information.Read More »
Vaccines that protect against COVID-19 are now readily available for most Americans, and almost half of the adult population are fully inoculated. However, there are still a significant number of people who are vaccine hesitant—enough to possibly prevent the United States from reaching herd immunity. On this bonus episode we spoke with Jens Dakin, managing director of information operations /strategic communications with AM Trace to discuss how to best communicate to these populations.Read More »
People living with disabilities have borne disproportionate burden in past emergency situations due to inequities in preparedness and response. To address and prevent inequities in the COVID-19 response, ASTHO placed 14 disability and preparedness specialists into health agencies around the country to promote inclusivity of people living with disabilities. In this episode, we explore ways that two of these disability and preparedness specialists have worked to address the needs of people living with disabilities in their jurisdictions.Read More »
On this bonus episode of Public Health Review, we chat with Stanley Campbell, CEO and CTO EagleForce. Campbell is an expert in artificial intelligence who knows how to leverage data in the fight against disease.Read More »
This conversation was recorded in May 2020, but felt the lessons and takeaways are still very relevant as we are finally starting to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. The rates of depression, suicide, and substance use are expected to surge as communities continue to struggle with COVID-19 cases—along with the fear, isolation and unemployment that comes with the pandemic. It’s essential that policymakers ensure that communities have continued access to mental health and substance use disorder services not only during, but also in the aftermath of this pandemic.Read More »
COVID-19 has stressed the U.S. healthcare and public health systems and highlighted racial and ethnic disparities in pre-existing conditions and health outcomes. In this episode, our guests discuss how health officials can serve as chief health strategists to work across sectors and ensure that all people have access to the services and resources that allow them to be well. This episode also details how states and territories can transform service delivery, ensure equitable access to prevention and healthcare services, and ultimately build stronger, more resilient communities.Read More »
People with chronic diseases have suffered the most during the pandemic both in rates of COVID-19 mortality and morbidity, and the health disparities that exist in those with chronic disease and poor social determinants of health are stark. On today’s episode, we speak to chronic disease and health equity experts on how to address this growing divide.Read More »