560: Businesses Supporting Public Health, Guide Helps Agencies with Antibiotic Stewardship

ROBERT JOHNSON: 

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Friday, December 8, 2023. I'm Robert Johnson. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

JEROME ADAMS: 

It wasn't by using public health words or public health metrics that we were able to secure a 1500% increase in public health funding in Indiana.

JOHNSON: 

Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams says businesses learned from the pandemic that public health is a worthy investment.

ADAMS: 

It was by partnering with the business community and showing them that our poor public health rankings and funding were directly correlated with our inability to attract businesses and for workforces to grow.

JOHNSON: 

Adams says businesses across the nation are beginning to make the same connections when it comes to substance use and mental health initiatives.

ADAMS: 

Businesses now recognize that the opioid epidemic for instance, and again, increasing rates of mental health disorders and crises are impacting their ability to function in the corporate world, and in the business world. And so the places that actually create workplaces and communities that promote mental health are going to do better in the stock market, and from their business bottom line perspective.

JOHNSON: 

He says the resources and interest are coming together, but warns the recovery won't happen quickly.

ADAMS: 

We didn't get here overnight. We're not going to undo all the harm that has been done and reverse trends overnight either. We need to recognize that that this is going to take a multi-year, multi-decade, concerted effort, and all hands need to be on deck.

JOHNSON: 

Dr. Adams is quoted in a recent CNN article about mental health in the U.S. You can read it using the link in the show notes.

The CDC has developed information for public health agencies based on its core elements of antibiotic stewardship. The work is intended to help organizations manage the growing concern over antimicrobial resistance. This is the CDC's Destani Bizune.

DESTANI BIZUNE 

It adapts the Core Elements framework to outline the structure of the state- local health department antibiotic stewardship program, and it provides recommended stewardship implementation activities based on the experiences of successful programs.

JOHNSON: 

And about those elements...

BIZUNE 

There are seven core elements that include leadership, accountability, expertise, action, tracking, reporting, and education. We define each of these elements in the core elements for health departments document and we also include example strategies and implementation resources throughout this guidance document and on the Core Elements webpage.

JOHNSON: 

Vanessa Iheanachor, also at the CDC, says health inequities are another concern to address in this work.

VANESSA IHEANACHOR 

A recent CDC review of published studies showed that clinician antibiotic prescribing behavior varied by patient and clinician characteristics, highlighting the need for stewardship activities that improve antibiotic prescribing practices and incorporate a health equity focus.

JOHNSON: 

You can review the guidance on the CDC website. We've got the link in the show notes.

Also today, Oregon has a new State Health Official. Cara Biddlecom is interim public health director. You can read more about her new assignment and her work in public health using the link in the show notes.

Finally, this morning, keep an eye on Congress and state legislatures across the U.S. with ASTHO's Legislative Alert emails. Join the list by clicking the link in the show notes.

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That'll do it for today. We're back Monday 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 weekend.