1013: Preparedness Peer Network, State Health Scorecards

JANSON SILVERS: 

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Friday, October 17, 2025. I'm Janson Silvers. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

FRANCESCA PROVENZANO: 

When we're not alone, that burden is much lighter, so we need to make the space to talk, vent, and find humor in it, and laugh.

SILVERS: 

Francesca Provenzano is a public health section chief for the Connecticut Department of Public Health and recently completed her term as chair of ASTHO's Director of Public Health Preparedness Peer Network. During her term, Provenzano met with her peers to work through funding uncertainty and address the value of preparedness, and says the group's informal chats were some of the most valuable parts of the experience.

PROVENZANO: 

Those great conversations start with acknowledging my own gaps and areas of weakness, and then asking jurisdictions that have those strengths or have gone through that experience to share it with me.

SILVERS: 

Provenzano says you can learn from other people's mistakes just as much as you can learn from their successes, and says the network was constantly sharing plans with one another.

PROVENZANO: 

It's never the same for each jurisdiction in our country, but as directors of public health preparedness, we can certainly adapt other people's materials and save ourselves some time and heartache.

SILVERS: 

Whether it's a pandemic or natural disaster, communities are recognizing the importance of being prepared for emergency events.

PROVENZANO: 

They're certainly not slowing down. They're only increasing, and that collaboration between jurisdictions and the federal government, both monetarily as well as programmatically, is really essential to our country being in a great place as we move forward.

SILVERS: 

You can learn more about all of ASTHO's Peer Networks and how they can benefit your department by clicking on the link in the show notes.

Every year, The Commonwealth Fund creates a scorecard to rank the performance of state health systems based on factors like access and affordability, prevention and treatment, health outcomes, and more. Dr. Sara Collins, senior scholar with The Commonwealth Fund, joins us to walk through some of the trends found in this year's report.

COLLINS: 

The scorecard shows that over the last decade, all states have scored historic improvement in getting people covered with health insurance, which in turn has led to significant gains in the ability of people to afford and get the health care they need.

SILVERS: 

Although growth was seen in several areas, there were also some notable negative trends.

COLLINS: 

The infant mortality rate worsened in 20 states between 2018 and 2022 with considerable variation across states, premature, avoidable deaths, those that can be treated with good treatment or avoided completely or prevented through things like vaccinations.

SILVERS: 

Collins says these numbers vary greatly from state to state, and that in many cases, the variations come down to the policy choices that state leaders make.

COLLINS: 

For example, whether to expand Medicaid eligibility, whether to ensure women can access a full range of reproductive care services, or whether to boost investment in primary care.

SILVERS: 

Collins adds that federal leadership and regulations are needed now more than ever to ensure that the progress made is not lost.

COLLINS: 

What's needed is more, not less, federal support for states. We need to expand coverage, not make it harder to get.

SILVERS: 

To see your state's scorecard and learn more about The Commonwealth Fund, you can visit the website now. We have a link in the show notes.

ASTHO president, Dr. Scott Harris was recently quoted in a story for CNN about the record-breaking number of measles cases across the country. Harris said quote, "When you have multiple cases happening, particularly with those numbers, it's only possible because you have susceptible individuals." Check out the full article by clicking on the link in the show notes.

Finally, on October 22 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time, session four of the Public Health Nursing Workforce Learning Lab Series. This session will focus on partnerships and how your agency can leverage them to strengthen the PHN workforce. To sign up for the event, use the link in the show notes.

That'll do it for today. We're back on Monday morning with more ASTHO news and information. I'm Janson Silvers, you're listening to the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition. Have a great weekend.