660: Retail Food Safety Barriers, Guam Launches Public Health AmeriCorps

JANSON SILVERS: 

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Wednesday, May 8, 2024. I'm Janson Silvers. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

AMBER GIBBAR: 

In 2023, we provided food safety training to over 410,000 people. And that includes all health jurisdictions in Washington, two locations in Oklahoma, and one location in Montana.

SILVERS: 

The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department has been working for years to dismantle communication barriers in retail food safety. Amber Gibbar, with the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department says her department has created a 30 minute online safety course and a manual to help.

GIBBAR: 

If we work with our manual is a 30 page document that complements the course and provides food safety information in written and video form. And these are kind of made to be easy to like print for reference sheets. Both online course and the manual are available in English and 12 additional languages.

SILVERS: 

Translating their resources into so many languages has several advantages.

GIBBAR: 

We see better understanding and like cooperation with code requirements when we offer information in someone's preferred language. And our handouts are made available to all of our partners as well to aid in their daily work.

SILVERS: 

The bar says they've also made their courses more physically accessible.

GIBBAR: 

You know, classes used to be 100% in person, so people had to either make the drive, take a bus, figure out how to get to a health department to take the course. So, providing the training online has reduced that barrier of travel. And then people can access our course and manual whenever, wherever, it's convenient.

SILVERS: 

You can learn more about their program and other evidence-based approaches to promoting equity and retail food safety by clicking the links in the show notes.

After several years of setbacks for its health communications infrastructure, Guam is now working with Public Health AmeriCorps. Julia Rivera, program director for the Public Health AmeriCorps Centralized Call Center on Guam says in 2019, what began as an electrical issue in the building that housed the Department of Health and Human Services quickly compounded into larger problems.

JULIA RIVERA: 

The department in 2019, abruptly scattered all around the island. And from there, the community didn't really know where to go. So, from that came COVID-19. And then our most recent disaster, typhoon mylars. So, from there, it's still a little bit of chaos, but we're trying to work so that we can get the communication out to the community. And so with all this chaos we chose to apply for the Public Health AmeriCorps funding.

SILVERS: 

Rivera tells us the goal is simple.

RIVERA: 

We look forward to creating a meaningful and impactful activities around the island that increase access to care, promote healthy lifestyles, and prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

SILVERS: 

Rivera says the initial Public Health AmeriCorps funding has allowed them to recruit people who best represent Guam and Guam's health needs.

RIVERA: 

And that's exactly what we need in order to create a healthier and more equitable island, turning chaos into clarity through communication. So, yes, to recruit those who live in, come from, and represent the communities in which they serve.

SILVERS: 

Learn more about the Public Health AmeriCorps program by using the link in the show notes.

Also today, ASTHO is hosting a webinar on pharmacists prescribe contraception. O'Keyla Cooper has more.

O'KEYLA COOPER: 

Join ASTHO on Thursday, May 16, from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time for virtual contraception access learning community webinar, on health plan coverage of services, focusing on pharmacists prescribed contraception implementation. Learn about maximizing policy impact, patient choice, and PPC model utilization and health plans. You can register now using the link in the show notes.

SILVERS: 

Finally, this morning, Dr. Umair A. Shah, secretary of health for the Washington State Department of Health and an ASTHO member has shared a message on X honoring Public Service Recognition Week. You can listen to Dr. Shah give thanks to public servants in the full video by using the link 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.