573: Disability Definition Coming Soon, Federal Priorities Outlined

ROBERT JOHNSON: 

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Thursday, January 4, 2024. I'm Robert Johnson. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

ANNIE EVANS: 

There are a thousand definitions of disability out there.

JOHNSON: 

But ASTHO is working through all of that to create a definition of disability to be used in the National Syndromic Surveillance Program's ESSENCE program. ASTHO's Annie Evans says the result will be a set of new disability related medical codes.

EVANS: 

So, over the last almost three years now, we have been working with CDC, and a series of experts in disability and data, and NSSP's ESSENCE to create this list of medical codes. We've undergone national testing, and now we're going through a process of state testing on this definition, and soon we'll be able to like fully launch the tested definition.

JOHNSON: 

Evans notes the work will address a range of disabilities.

EVANS: 

So, we have eight different domains of disability that are involved in this definition. So, that's eight different types of disability, for example. So, hearing-related disabilities is an example of that, and we have a list of medical codes that go along with hearing-related disabilities. 

JOHNSON: 

Evans adds the development process includes input from people impacted most.

EVANS: 

As the disability community likes to say, nothing about us without us. The input on this definition from people who it will impact is critical to the process.

JOHNSON:

The work could be published as soon as this summer. Read more about the project using the links in the show notes.

ASTHO starts the new year with a busy federal legislative agenda. Jeffrey Ekoma says priorities are organized into three categories.

EKOMA: 

Tier one priorities include items that are members of have asked ASTHO to play a lead advocacy role in. Tier two priorities are things in which are we work with partners on and tier three priorities are items that we monitor over time.

JOHNSON: 

You can read more about ASTHO's 2024 federal legislative agenda by clicking the link in the show notes.

The start of the new year is also a good time to think about adding new skills. ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser and de Beaumont Foundation President and CEO Dr. Brian Castrucci have written and edited a book that outlines skills that could be helpful to public health professionals.

BRIAN CASTRUCCI: 

This was cooking before the COVID-19 pandemic and I think the pandemic reinforces the need for strategic skills, one of which is communication, but it's also partnership building and relationship building and knowing how to think through systems and all the things that we're not necessarily taught in our formal public health training.

JOHNSON: 

The book is titled Building Strategic Skills for Better Health. You can get your copy using the link in the show notes.

Finally, this morning, agencies looking for new approaches to public health challenges in rural areas will want to download the latest ASTHO report. O'Keyla Cooper has more.

O'KEYLA COOPER: 

Collaboration between sectors is essential for addressing public health challenges in rural communities. The health in all policies or HiAP approach improves community wellbeing by considering social, economic, and environmental factors. To learn about the practical implication of high up strategies in rural areas and their impact on health outcomes, you can download the full report from the link in the show notes.

JOHNSON: 

Before we go, we'd like to remind you to follow this newscast on your podcast player and ASTHO on social media. We're on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. That'll do it for today.

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.