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Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO chief medical officer, tells us ASTHO continues to focus on improving heart health in our island areas; Lisa Peterson, ASTHO senior director for preparedness, discusses the upcoming 2024 Preparedness Summit; and an ASTHO...
Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO chief medical officer, tells us ASTHO continues to focus on improving heart health in our island areas; Lisa Peterson, ASTHO senior director for preparedness, discusses the upcoming 2024 Preparedness Summit; and an ASTHO report highlights successful partnerships between state health agencies and transportation sectors to address health disparities in accessing care.
ASTHO Blog Article: Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention in the Pacific Territories
2024 Preparedness Summit Webpage
ASTHO Report: Braiding and Layering Funding to Address the Social Determinants of Health
JANSON SILVERS:
This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Thursday, March 21, 2024. I'm Janson Silvers. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
MARCUS PLESCIA:
Rates of heart disease and chronic diseases in general are very, very high in the Pacific territories. It rivals any kind of infectious disease issues, which used to be pretty significant for them.
SILVERS:
ASTHO's Marcus Plescia says ASTHO continues to focus on improving heart health for all people, including our island areas. One way this work happens is through ASTHO's Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Learning Collaborative.
PLESCIA:
We've worked very closely with the territories on really thinking about what are some of the policy interventions that can make a difference. And a lot of the policies are about, you know, making the healthy choice, the easier choice for people.
SILVERS:
Plescia recently authored a blog article highlighting disparities the U.S. affiliated Pacific islands face when it comes to cardiovascular disease. One emphasis of the learning collaborative is hypertension.
PLESCIA:
You know, it's a significant problem in the territories and in the States. And it's something where, you know, we're just not as successful in controlling blood pressure and people who have hypertension, as we could be, it's clear, there's a lot of opportunities for improvement. And that's what these learning collaboratives were about. And they use a wide, you know, different territories or using different approaches.
SILVERS:
Plescia says a lot of great work is being done in the Island Areas, and specifically spotlights the Republic of the Marshall Islands for their work to educate and raise awareness around hypertension.
PLESCIA:
They're services and resources and consultation opportunities out into the community where people can easily access it. You know, they're also putting a lot of emphasis on medical care. But what I think is interesting is it's not just about medical care, it's about really taking these messages and taking support to people in the communities where they live.
SILVERS:
You can find the link to Plescia's blog article in the show notes.
We're just a few days away from the 2024 Preparedness Summit. And as those Lisa Peterson is excited to bring lessons from across the country to ASTHO members.
LISA PETERSON:
It's a great opportunity to convene a wide array of partners to present new research findings share tools and resources, and provides a variety of opportunities for attendees to learn how to implement model practices that enhance the nation's capabilities to prepare for respond to and recover from disasters and other emergencies.
SILVERS:
This year's theme focuses on collaboration across all of health to prepare everyone more effectively.
PETERSON:
The theme of the summit this year is public health, healthcare, and emergency management aligning to address cascading challenges. So, because of that, many of the sessions will focus on highlighting how these sectors along with other partners, we can all really come together for improving preparedness and response in the nation.
SILVERS:
Peterson says ASTHO will be well represented at the summit. And we'll be learning from others, but also sharing lessons learned.
PETERSON:
Really trying to connect the dots to see how we as a team and an organization can start to think through how we can provide additional technical assistance to our members and partners for maybe some of the challenges that they faced and also share their successes as well. So, it can potentially be implemented in other jurisdictions. And so it's a lot of leave a penny take a penny.
SILVERS:
You can learn more about the Preparedness Summit and even register to attend virtually by using the link in the show notes.
Also today, garnering sustainable funding to address social determinants of health is always a challenge. But there may be ways to address these complex issues. O'Keyla Cooper has more.
O'KEYLA COOPER:
A new report by ASTHO and the University of Washington highlights successful partnerships between state health agencies and transportation sectors to address health disparities in accessing care. The study emphasizes flexible funding, formalized collaborations and policy advocacy. Click the link in the show notes to download the full report.
SILVERS:
Finally this morning, stay up to date on public health news and other resources when you sign up for ASTHO's Public Health Weekly email newsletter, the link is in the show notes.
And 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 Janson Silvers. You're listening to the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition. Have a great day.
