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Dr. Robert Goldstein, ASTHO Member and Commissioner for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, discusses a new report that shows Massachusetts overdose deaths remain near record highs; Jessica Baggett, ASTHO Senior Advisor for Public Health...
Dr. Robert Goldstein, ASTHO Member and Commissioner for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, discusses a new report that shows Massachusetts overdose deaths remain near record highs; Jessica Baggett, ASTHO Senior Advisor for Public Health Response, outlines a report about the role of public health in the response to long COVID; and Mike Fraser, ASTHO CEO, and Dr. Brian Castrucci, de Beaumont Foundation President and CEO, will team up to review key skills everyone needs to succeed in public health in an upcoming webinar.
ASTHO Webpage: Building Strategic Skills for Better Health: A Primer for Public Health Professionals
ASTHO Webinar: Lunch and Learn – Building Strategic Skills for Public Health Professionals
ROBERT JOHNSON:
This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Tuesday, February 13, 2024, episode 600. I'm Robert Johnson. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
ROBERT GOLDSTEIN:
The main point that we really tried to stress when this report came out was that our drug supply in Massachusetts is poisoned.
JOHNSON:
Concern in a new report that Massachusetts overdose deaths remain at near record highs. State health commissioner and ASTHO member Dr. Robert Goldstein says fentanyl is a big problem, but not the only concern.
GOLDSTEIN:
There is also here in Massachusetts a rising rate of other substances and the overdose deaths that we're seeing, 60% had cocaine present, which was a significant increase over the prior year. And we are seeing significant increases in xylazine. In our drug supply 7% of the overdose deaths had xylazine present.
JOHNSON:
Goldstein says Massachusetts is doing all it can, spending $1.2 billion since 2015 on treatment and harm reduction.
GOLDSTEIN:
And despite that, we've had an 8% increase in opioid-related overdose deaths. And so we know in Massachusetts that we're doing a lot of good things, and it is not having the result that we want to have.
JOHNSON:
He says the state has sent naloxone and fentanyl testing strips to every community and opened a statewide helpline.
GOLDSTEIN:
So, we're making sure that no matter where you are, whether you're in the big cities like Boston or Springfield, or in our more rural areas in Western Massachusetts, or out on Cape Cod, you have resources available, and get it out to community members.
JOHNSON:
You can read the state's latest opioid-related overdose report. The link is in the show notes.
It's been four years since the first COVID cases in the U.S. and we still don't know a lot about the long-lasting impacts of the virus. ASTHO experts are among those on a report about the role of public health in the response to long COVID, Jessica Baggett says it includes information gathered from a quick survey of ASTHO members.
BAGGETT:
We asked our sessions to read their most immediate needs related to long COVID and we learned that the top three areas were the need for standard definition, surveillance, best practices, and prevention, and mitigation strategies.
JOHNSON:
Baggett says agencies want to know what else they can do beyond promotion of vaccines and treatments. But she says they are certain that there remains a need to address inequities.
BAGGETT:
We apply those to long COVID through traditional prevention methods and by addressing issues with access to care. And we also know that people with chronic or ill-defined conditions are often stigmatized, which can make a really big difference in how they are treated both in healthcare settings and work settings.
JOHNSON:
Looking ahead, Baggett expects the public health approach to long COVID will focus on a few key areas.
BAGGETT:
I think it's understanding more about the disease, how it shows up, how it manifests within folks. It's also setting some of the standard case definitions.
JOHNSON:
The report is in the current issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. You can read it by clicking the link in the show notes.
Also today, public health professionals can learn to be more strategic in a webinar coming up later this month. ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser, and de Beaumont President and CEO Dr. Brian Castrucci team up to review key skills everyone needs to succeed in public health. The event is connected to a book they wrote on the same topic. You can sign up for the webinar on February 22 and buy the book using the links in the show notes.
Finally, this morning, ASTHO produces several email newsletters to help you stay connected to the latest public health news and resources. You can review the options and sign up now. There's a link in the show notes.
Before we go, a reminder also to follow this newscast on your podcast player so you don't miss a single report and connect with 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.
