601: Use Policy to Achieve Health Equity, Stigma Hurts Long COVID Patients

ROBERT JOHNSON: 

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Wednesday, February 14, 2024. I'm Robert Johnson. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

BROOKE CUNNINGHAM: 

The piece of public health that is about social justice is the piece that has resonated with me.

JOHNSON: 

Minnesota Health Commissioner and ASTHO member Dr. Brooke Cunningham reflects on the importance of using policy to achieve racial equity, as the nation recognizes Black History Month.

CUNNINGHAM: 

There are a lot of ways that historically and contemporarily set us up for racial inequities. And what has been most powerful in the history of our nation are the policy levers.

JOHNSON: 

Cunningham says the policy work must happen at the same time immediate challenges are addressed.

CUNNINGHAM: 

And while we patch up and we work at the margins, and we help folks who are historically marginalized and disadvantaged to get what they need in public health, we also have to look upstream, we have to look at the policy opportunity.

JOHNSON: 

Cunningham adds, the goal is to one day no longer rely on grants to fix what doesn't work today.

CUNNINGHAM: 

You know, my department at the Minnesota Department of Health, we do a lot of you know, grants to community based organizations and that is critically important. And we need to create a system where less grants are necessary to patch up a broken system.

JOHNSON: 

A new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine considers the public health role in the response to long COVID. The CDC's Dr. Priti Patel is one of the authors of the article.

PRITI PATEL: 

The AJPM paper aims to provide a framework as a first step to assist organizations in applying core public health functions to the problem of long COVID.

JOHNSON: 

The article includes information from a survey of ASTHO members who say inequities are a key concern.

PATEL: 

Patients report encountering significant stigma related to their condition and their symptoms are often dismissed.

JOHNSON: 

Agencies continue to promote vaccines and treatments. Patel says they also can educate communities and validate the stigma felt by patients.

PATEL: 

Health care providers and public health professionals should promote awareness of long COVID including validating long COVID as a real illness to help alleviate the stigma that patients face and emphasize prevention of long COVID By staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccines.

JOHNSON: 

You can read the article in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine by clicking the link in the show notes.

Also today, the benefits of verbal screening when treating people using two or more substances during pregnancy are examined in a new ASTHO report now available online. The report addresses the occurrence of polysubstance use in pregnancy, details the advantages of verbal screening, and emphasizes the importance of health equity. You can download the document using the link in the show notes.

Finally this morning, Congress still has work to do on federal funding bills that impact public health. Stay ahead of the latest news from Capitol Hill with ASTHO's Legislative Alert emails, you can sign up using the link in the show notes.

Before we go, a reminder also to follow us 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.