444: STI Interventions, Communication Priorities

JANSON SILVERS: 

This is Public Health Review Morning Edition for Tuesday, June 20, 2023. I'm Janson Silvers. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

JONATHAN MERMIN: 

We are obligated as public health officials to put our money where our epidemics are.

JANSON SILVERS: 

When it comes to the current STI epidemic, the CDC's Dr. Jonathan Merman says public health leaders should think of ways to have multiple interventions available at clinics and health centers.

JONATHAN MERMIN: 

And in many ways, I think of a syndemic approach as similar to a primary care physician who doesn't just think about one particular disease, but thinks about the holistic person that they're trying to bring health services to. The same thing we can do as public health officials is to bring those holistic services to populations.

JANSON SILVERS: 

He adds, there are systems and policies that can make a difference.

JONATHAN MERMIN: 

Those can include things from ensuring that STI clinics are available in areas where STIs are disproportionately affecting populations, and that these clinics are well-resourced, making sure that we have disease investigation specialists going out and and finding the people who might have been exposed and bringing them the testing and other services that can help protect them from STIs.

JANSON SILVERS: 

Communication is a priority in healthcare as it is in public health. Robert Johnson talked about communication with ASTHO alum, Dr. Ngozi Ezike on the sidelines of Astr Tech Expo in Chicago last month.

ROBERT JOHNSON: 

It has been a long time since we've seen you in person, I think 2019, you were state health official here in Illinois then. But for the last year, you've been doing something else, tell everybody where you are and what you're up to.

NGOZI EZIKE: 

So now I'm proud to serve as the president and CEO of Sinai Chicago. It's the largest private safety net health system in the city of Chicago and in the state. We get to work on the south side and west sides of Chicago helping some of the most under resourced communities in the city of Chicago.

ROBERT JOHNSON: 

Not unlike the work in public health, are the issues with communication the same where you are now?

NGOZI EZIKE: 

Absolutely, communication is always just a foundation for any work that's being done, whether it's communicating with legislators or potential donors about the work we do and the support that's necessary, whether it's internal communication with the teams who are doing the work every day, or our caregivers, as we call them, our nurses, our medical assistants, communication, as well to our community partners that we work so closely with to lift the health of all of our communities.

ROBERT JOHNSON: 

You are in Chicago this week talking with people who've come to a variety of meetings hosted by ASTHO, and a panel that you took part in was about communication. Thinking about all of the experiences you've had, I mean, you were a provider yourself, you've been in public health, now you're doing this leadership role in this new venture, what to you is the most important communication lesson you've learned? You don't have to be limited just to the COVID period that we've all been through, but just in general, what do you think is at the top of the list?

NGOZI EZIKE: 

I think communicating period is the key. You need to communicate often, you need to communicate regularly, people respond to this level of transparency, where they understand what's happening, whether it's a partner, or patient, a potential donor, a legislator, just having open lines of communication, which usually is more effective when relationship has been built. And so that comes from frequent, regular communication. So, very important skill and important need for any role, but definitely in the role as a public health leader and also as a healthcare administrator.

ROBERT JOHNSON: 

Oftentimes, though, easier said than done.

NGOZI EZIKE: 

Correct, of course, of course.

ROBERT JOHNSON: 

What are some of those challenges?

NGOZI EZIKE: 

You know, it's really important to realize how many different kinds of populations you're serving and being able to communicate to people in a manner that will be received well, by them. Sometimes it's different languages, beyond different languages, there could be different messengers that need to deliver those messages. So, identifying who the trusted messengers are, is very important and being able to utilize them. I think one thing that is really important is, you know, when you're trying to send a message, you would have wanted to already have that relationship and so you can't wait till there's a big issue to come and try to serve as a trusted messenger. You want to build those relationships, you know, very, very early and maintain those relationships. But yes, you know, different languages, understanding what styles work, utilizing social Media because so much information is relayed via that, you have to be nimble in the techniques and types of ways that we communicate.

ROBERT JOHNSON: 

Many of those lessons were learned the hard way during the pandemic. How do you feel public health has done, as things have eased up a little on those issues?

NGOZI EZIKE: 

I'm hopeful that public health will regain its full stature as this important body that serves all. I think, you know, it was a very different day when you had public health in front of the cameras instead of in the background. And so that was just a big transition to have public health so visible and so 'in our faces,' that as things are calming down, and public health is going to resume a more traditional role, you know, we can get back to the things that we do and do so well. But we also understand that it is important for people to know who we are and what we do, and we want to maintain lines of communication, so that if we have to come back in front of those cameras, we do have those continued relationships.

JANSON SILVERS: 

The Missouri Department of Health Alzheimer's Task Force recently issued several recommendations to help address the needs of Alzheimer's patients and caregivers. Melanie Hyland with the Missouri Department of Health explains the reasoning behind the guidance.

MELANIE HIGHLAND: 

We know here in Missouri alone, that there were over 194,000 unpaid family and friend caregivers just in 2021 alone. That equates to $292 million of hours and almost $5 billion of unpaid care. We know that we don't have the industry to support that if those family caregivers weren't in place.

JANSON SILVERS: 

Highland says caregivers need help, and they're working to figure out how best to do just that.

MELANIE HIGHLAND: 

We know that a significant amount of these are seniors caring for seniors. What supports do they need? We know a third of these caregivers have depression. That identity crisis that happens when somebody you love doesn't seem like themselves and it puts you in a different role.

JANSON SILVERS: 

You can read a story about the report using the link in the show notes.

Finally today, agencies that are part of ASTHO's Vaccine Equity Project will talk about how partnerships helped improve vaccine uptake during a webinar happening tomorrow afternoon. The event starts at 1:00 pm Eastern time, you can sign up using the link in the show notes.

That will do it for today's newscast. We're back tomorrow morning with more ASTHO news and information. I'm Janson Silvers, you're listening to Public Health Review Morning Edition. Have a great day.