471: Disability Equity Tools, ASTHO Wins Vaccine and Preparedness Awards

ROBERT JOHNSON: 

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Monday, July 31, 2023. I'm Robert Johnson. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

ANNIE EVANS: 

It was really a huge step forward for equality, inclusion and disability rights.

JOHNSON: 

July marks the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act signed into law this month in 1990. Today, ASTHO's Annie Evans says, work continues to ensure equity for people with disabilities, especially when disasters happen.

EVANS: 

There are several pieces of legislation that provide rare disease advisory councils with input on emergency preparedness plans. So, I think that's something that we're seeing as a result of, of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Those groups are being provided with an opportunity to have input because there may be disproportionate impact on them in certain emergency situations.

JOHNSON: 

Evans says a public health ethics committee is another tool that can help a jurisdiction foster equity.

EVANS: 

Public health ethics committees use public health ethics principles to prioritize and justify government action to promote public health. So, a lot of this guidance can be centered in preparedness because a lot of ethics questions come into play when resources are scarce, which does happen during emergencies.

JOHNSON: 

Evans notes these councils and committees work best when they consider input from people with lived experiences.

EVANS: 

So, for people who are pregnant or people with disabilities, they can really identify where the barriers are, who are the key partners that health agencies may be able to leverage to resolve those issues, and really prioritize their needs.

JOHNSON: 

Work continues to build off the groundbreaking progress of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Kurell Julien is with Business for Social Responsibility, and a recent graduate of ASTHO's Diverse Executives Leading in Public Health program.

KURELL JULIEN: 

Some of the important pieces are, we're starting to see more interest in trying to figure out ways to build better and stronger, more complete data sets that are representative of people with disabilities. And then their different kinds of disabilities.

JOHNSON: 

But Julien says barriers remain.

JULIEN: 

Doctors and doctors' offices and emergency rooms and things like that tend to be ill-equipped from a personnel standpoint, but then also from an access, like physical access, standpoint, to be able to support people with disabilities in their practices, especially about other private ones.

JOHNSON: 

Julian reminds us that one out of four people will experience some kind of disability in their lifetime, and that he says should be enough reason to support ongoing equity work.

JULIEN: 

It's about all of us. As we get older, our bodies just don't work the same as we do, no matter how much we might like them to.

JOHNSON: 

Also today, ASTHO wins two national awards for its work on separate vaccine and disability equity programs. The American Society of Association Executives recognizes ASTHO's work with the Partnering for Vaccine Equity program with a gold award. A pandemic project that sent 18 disability and preparedness specialists to help state and territorial health agencies wins a silver award. We'll have more about these award-winning projects later this week here on the newscast. You can also read ASTHO's news release about the awards by clicking the link in the show notes right now.

Finally, this morning, ASTHO members can learn how to improve access to emergency contraception during a webinar on August 15. There's a link to sign up for the event in the show notes.

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That'll do it for today's newscast. We're back tomorrow morning with more ASTHO news and information. I'm Robert Johnson. You're listening to the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition. Have a great day.