445: Pride Month Lessons, DELPH Graduate

JANSON SILVERS: 

This is Public Health Review Morning Edition for Wednesday, June 21, 2023. I'm Janson Silvers. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

STEPHEN LEE: 

This Pride Month and every month, we need to really recognize the increasing threats facing our community.

JANSON SILVERS: 

Dr. Stephen Lee is Executive Director of the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors.

STEPHEN LEE: 

Our guiding principles and our core values are the beliefs that every person has equal value and dignity, and that access to quality health care is a basic human right. And that we have an obligation to dismantle systems that perpetuate social and racial injustice. And so this Pride Month, it's really an important time for us to elevate and amplify these messages.

JANSON SILVERS: 

Lee says it's critical to include people with lived experiences when considering HIV programs and policies.

STEPHEN LEE: 

We need to listen to them and what they need, and to learn from them when we're creating solutions. So it's really essential to include the LGBTQ+ community, trans folks who are most impacted, in planning, implementing, and evaluation of programs that are being created to benefit them. Their voice, their input, and their feedback is of significance and it really matters.

JANSON SILVERS: 

More praise coming today from another graduate of ASTHO's, Diverse Executives Leading in Public Health program. Robert Johnson speaks with graduate Heather Pangelinan, Director of Public Health Services in the Northern Mariana Islands.

ROBERT JOHNSON: 

You have graduated from the most recent class of DELPH scholars, what was that experience like for you?

HEATHER PANGELINAN: 

You know, it was a great experience. I would say that, you know, I did have to come out of my comfort zone a little bit. A lot of the other cohort members didn't necessarily know where the Northern Mariana Islands were. And our challenges are a little bit different in our territory. And so for me, too, it was a great learning experience, being able to hear from other individuals from large state health departments from county health departments. So it's great to learn about the work that's going on here on the state side, and how, you know, we have some similarities, some challenges, and just learning about what they do and exploring the resources that they utilize and learning about them and figuring out how I could use what may work in the CNMI, in the Northern Mariana Islands as well,

ROBERT JOHNSON: 

What was the most important thing or most useful thing that you think you learned during the experience?

HEATHER PANGELINAN: 

You know, I think I really use the experience through the DELPH program to strengthen what I do in regards to advocating, I think, for the priorities in our island territory. I think engaging in the work, there are various, we call them assignments. But there were various activities that we did individually and through group work, that I think helped me to develop my skill and being able to more effectively advocate for resources that we may need, or even just explaining the types of challenges that we experience coming from a remote island jurisdiction.

ROBERT JOHNSON: 

We hear from a lot of graduates of this program that they go home and are really able to achieve great things. Many of them get promotions, they take on new assignments. Have you thought about how this work will help you when you go back to the Mariana Islands?

HEATHER PANGELINAN: 

You know, I actually had just gotten promoted when I got accepted into the program. And so you know, when I look five years down the line, I hope to still be in the current position that I'm in. I hope to have expanded our services. And right now, a major project that we're working on is a restructuring of our division. And so I'm hoping that utilizing you know, the information and the resources and the networks I've been able to establish through the program, you know, utilize those resources to develop a, I guess, an efficient and structure that would be most efficiently and effectively responsive to our community's needs.

ROBERT JOHNSON: 

ASTHO, for all intents and purposes, expects to continue this program. So as a recent graduate, what would your call to action be for other professionals out there who might be eligible and maybe thinking about doing this?

HEATHER PANGELINAN: 

Yeah, I'd say you know, give it a try for myself at first I thought, jeez, I don't think this is I had just gotten promoted, I was thinking this might not be a great time to add another project into what I was doing. But honestly, if anything, I think it's added a lot of value and partnerships. And just, I've been able to utilize some of the relationships that I've established through the program to improve the work that we're doing to actually, I guess, help me transition into my new role. So while you know it might feel like it might be more work or maybe overwhelming for some, I'd say just give it a try. Submit an application and the ASTHO team that actually coordinates the program is very accommodating, very responsive, I think of like 16 hours in timezone [change]. And so that in and of itself has been a challenge trying to work through group. But honestly, they've done an amazing job at trying to accommodate my timezone and ensuring that I was included and able to participate in all the activities that were offered.

ROBERT JOHNSON: 

So, you're glad you did it?

HEATHER PANGELINAN: 

Yes, certainly I'm glad.

JANSON SILVERS: 

Also today, Canada wildfires causing smoke events across the US. Wayne Cascio with the Environmental Protection Agency says his team works with health officials prior to events like these so they can be prepared and recently even deployed new technology to help monitor air quality.

WAYNE CASCIO: 

This is the Wildfire Smoke Air Monitoring and Response Technology program. The program provides supplemental air monitoring in areas affected by wildfire smoke and in areas where gaps exist in air monitoring. In 2022, WSMART equipment was loaned to 29 recipients supporting smoke responses in eight states.

JANSON SILVERS: 

Cascio says they're also working with state and local governments to get important information out to the public.

WAYNE CASCIO: 

These include information that's presented in a format of two pages, written at a level that would certainly be accessible to most people. And these include reducing your smoke exposure, protecting children from wildfire smoke and ash, protecting your pets from wildfire smoke.

JANSON SILVERS: 

Finally, this morning ASCO has new job openings. The organization is hiring an Assistant Director for Government Affairs, a Senior Director of Islands Support and a Manager for Digital Learning Design. There's a link to the ASTHO Careers webpage in the show notes. I'm Janson Silvers, you're listening to Public Health Review Morning Edition. Have a great day.