605: Social Media is Declared a Public Health Threat, Workforce DEI Strategies

ROBERT JOHNSON: 

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Wednesday, February 21, 2024. I'm Robert Johnson. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

ASHWIN VASAN: 

We've called it a public health threat because we are framing this as a digital toxin. In the same way that we've had physical toxins in our environment like tobacco and water pollution and air pollution and lead.

JOHNSON: 

New York City declares social media a public health hazard, concerned that digital content is driving a nationwide youth mental health crisis. Dr. Ashwin Vasan is the city's health commissioner.

VASAN: 

Again, no one's talking about getting rid of social media, or snatching people's devices away, but what we are talking about is a fundamental set of controls and regulation and information and education and research and harm reduction strategies to empower people, but also to hold companies accountable for the current environment, which is totally unrestricted.

JOHNSON: 

Vasan says the campaign is intended to get people to pay attention to the negative impacts of social media.

VASAN: 

We want everyday New Yorkers and everyday Americans asking questions about this, engaging in education, and sharing content with each other about how to get informed on the threat that this poses.

JOHNSON: 

Vasan adds, the plan is to empower parents, providers, educators, and others to fight back.

VASAN: 

We don't issue commissioner's advisories all that often and we only do so when we really feel like there's a measurable, clear, and out of proportion public health threat that we want all New Yorkers to better understand and start to take action around.

JOHNSON: 

New York City also has filed a lawsuit against Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Snapchat. The city is seeking to recover millions of dollars it spends each year on youth mental health programs and services. You can read New York City's news release by clicking the link in the show notes.

Workforce diversity, equity, and inclusion are the focus of work happening in Colorado. Anya Nystrom explains the effort to attract and retain diverse talent at the State Health Department.

ANYA NYSTROM: 

So, focusing on strategies that work to build trust, being really intentional about our priorities and our strategies that lead to a workplace that is focused on belonging and investing in resources and programs and practices that lead to a place that people see a future is really important for us.

JOHNSON: 

Nystrom is the organization's director of Culture, Strategy, Equity, and Innovation. She says agency communications are part of the plan.

NYSTROM: 

And we have created a brand guide that focuses on inclusive imagery and language that really promotes the diversity of our workforce in social media and other promotional materials.

JOHNSON: 

Building relationships with people in the community is another key piece of the recruitment program.

NYSTROM: 

We have a recruiting effort that really includes building trust with communities across Colorado at different local events like Pride, the Dragon Boat Festival, Juneteenth, and just really working to build relationships with organizations that reach a broader and more diverse audience.

JOHNSON: 

The commitment to DEI principles is found throughout the Colorado Health Agency's current strategic plan. You can read it using the link in the show notes.

Also, today, there's an urgent need to make sure public health data represents all communities. ASTHO writes about the importance of representative data in a new blog article now online. Learn how more accurate and diverse data collection can improve your response to public health threats. There's a link in the show notes.

Finally this morning, strategic skills are on the agenda tomorrow at an ASTHO webinar. Join ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser and de Beaumont Foundation President and CEO Dr. Brian Castrucci for a discussion based on their new book, Building Strategic Skills for Better Health. You can sign up for the webinar and buy the book using the links in the show notes.

Before we go, a reminder also to follow this newscast on your podcast player 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.