656: Racism A Public Health Threat, Syndemic Approaches

JANSON SILVERS: 

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Thursday, May 2, 2024. I'm Janson Silvers. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

MICHELLE VAN HANDEL: 

This plan is really the product of many years of work within the department of public health focused on racism in health and racism in public health.

SILVERS: 

That's Dr. Robert Goldstein, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and ASTHO member. His department's plan to address racism as a serious public health threat has been in the works for quite a while. Goldstein says that the systemic issues surrounding a person are what causes negative outcomes for people of color.

VAN HANDEL: 

It is the structural inequities that exist. It's the social determinants of health all around an individual in their community that are very often driven by racism. Those are the factors that impact the poor health outcomes, not simply the color of someone's skin.

SILVERS: 

The plan is called the strategic plan to advance racial equity. And the goal is to address systemic inequities across public health in the state of Massachusetts. Goldstein says any effort like this must start with the groups you hope to help.

VAN HANDEL: 

First and foremost, we wanted to make sure that we were centering the voices and the experiences of people in communities of color across Massachusetts. So, we wanted to make sure that black employees of the Department of Public Health, people from community organizations, largely serving black communities in Massachusetts were heard and were part of the plan development.

SILVERS: 

While the plan will focus on internal changes. Goldstein says the outcomes are for everyone.

VAN HANDEL: 

I think it's important to say that our ultimate impact that we hope to have here is not just within state government, right, we hope that we will have an impact on the health of the Commonwealth. That's 7 million people across 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts.

SILVERS: 

You can find Massachusetts strategic plan to advance racial equity by using the link in the show notes.

The CDC is taking a new approach to address HIV, viral hepatitis, STIs and TB. The CDC is Michelle Van Handel tells us now the agency is taking a syndemic approach to reduce these infections.

VAN HANDEL: 

We are working to more fully address the common drivers of these pandemics and leverage the potential positive opportunities this endemic approach provides, including a more holistic approach to individual and population health.

SILVERS: 

Van Handel says certain shared circumstances can lead to an increased risk for all of these infections, which is why it makes sense to approach a solution in this way.

VAN HANDEL: 

These pandemics are driven by social and structural factors that lead to clustering of these infections. For example, poor access to quality health care, housing and transportation, as well as stigma, discrimination, homophobia, and incarceration all contribute and can lead to intermediary outcomes, such as substance use and housing instability, which in turn affect individuals risks for these infections.

SILVERS: 

Van Handel lists several strategies to combat these infections, and highlights the importance of going to those most affected by these syndemics.

VAN HANDEL: 

So really thinking about in your local area, who are the populations disproportionately affected? What venues are they already accessing? And how can we build those partnerships with those venues to ensure that services are being provided to address more than one infection or health outcome at the same time.

SILVERS: 

Several CDC resources about these infections are in the shownotes.

Also today, if you or your team are looking to prevent falls in older adults an ASTHO report may be able to help. O'Keyla Cooper has more.

O'KEYLA COOPER: 

A report from ASTHO addresses the issue of unintentional falls among older adults in the U.S. It aims to assist state health departments in aligning existing prevention efforts with community clinical linkages and provide strategies for implementing new initiatives. These insights are potentially applicable to U.S. territories and freely associated states. Download the full report through the link in the show notes.

SILVERS: 

Finally, this morning, stay connected to all the latest in public health news. When you sign up for ASTHO's Public Health Weekly email newsletter. That link is in the show notes.

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.