217: Opioid Abuse Child Impact Task Force

ROBERT JOHSNON:

This is Public Health Review Morning Edition for Tuesday, July 12th, 2022. I'm Robert Johnson.

Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

DENISE JOHNSON:

We are looking at ways to decrease substance use in general for parents, but also to decrease the infants born with neonatal abstinence syndrome and to ensure the safety and the health of children who might be at risk for abuse, or neglect, or placement into foster care, or injuries, and certainly of mortality.

ROBERT JOHNSON:

Dr. Denise Johnson, acting secretary of health in Pennsylvania, on the goals of a new task force considering the impact opioid abuse has on children in the state.

DENISE JOHNSON:

I think all of us are colored by the lens of our experience. So, an obstetrician might have a different perspective than a pediatrician, and those who work within the child welfare system also have a different perspective.

So, bringing together those diverse views helps to make us more informed, and I believe it's going to help us with creating these recommendations that really should have an impact.

ROBERT JOHNSON:

Jon Rubin is deputy secretary of Pennsylvania's Office of Children, Youth, and Families, and a partner on the task force.

JON RUBIN:

We were looking at it as a child abuse and neglect issue, and I think the health department looks at it really from a public health perspective. We both collect data differently, and so it really was an opportunity for us to open the door to working better together.

JOHNSON:

Rubin says task force members are finding new ways to connect and leverage data.

RUBIN:

We are having significant discussions now really about substance-affected infants, and reports that come from hospitals that the health department may be aware of and that our child welfare system may be aware of, and how do we work better together with these families.

JOHNSON:

Hot summer weather means more people at the beach, and that has ASTHO thinking about water safety and quality in a new blog article now online. The article covers swimming safety and offers a link to a clinician toolbox for providers who want to better understand harmful bacterial blooms that can occur in bodies of water. Look for more information in the show notes.

Finally today, ASTHO week is underway in Arlington, Virginia. It's the first time in over two years that the organization's team of more than 250 people has gathered in one place.

Christy Jones is ASTHO senior director of leadership development.

CHRISTY JONES:

We turned 80 in March, but we didn't get a chance to come together. So, we're going to celebrate.

I would say the main thing that we really want to see staff take away this time is connection—to understand and realize that relationships are super important and that we were not made do life alone, and it is important to know that being able to be connected to people is really a true blessing. So, I would say connection would be the thing that we really want our staff to take away from this particular ASTHO week.

JOHNSON

Jones says the agenda includes games, food, fun, and a DJ. It definitely sounds like a good time.

That'll do it for today's newscast. We are back tomorrow morning with more ASTHO news and information.

I'm Robert Johnson. You're listening to Public Health Review Morning Edition. Have a great day.