661: PH Adopts EJ Priorities, Health Forecasts Model Weather Service Approach

ROBERT JOHNSON: 

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Thursday, May 9, 2024. I'm Robert Johnson. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

ANIL NAIR: 

Certain groups such as people of color immigrants, and those living below the poverty line experience disproportionately high adverse health effects related to environmental factors.

JOHNSON: 

Pennsylvania wants to change that with a focus on environmental justice, empowered by an executive order signed in 2021. By then Governor, Tom Wolf, this is Anil Nair with the state health department.

NAIR: 

According to this, each agency was required to develop and publish a strategic plan to promote environmental justice in ways tailored to the specific agency and its authority mission and programs.

JOHNSON: 

Nair says the department's response has been to connect environmental justice to internal and external programs.

NAIR: 

And some of these priorities include increasing awareness of environmental justice and the connection between environmental justice and healthy equity among the department of health staff, another one is strengthening department of health, environmental justice, health equity, and climate change programmatic oversight.

JOHNSON: 

Nair says the agency has trained the staff and now has money to start a climate and health program. You can read an ASTHO report about Pennsylvania success using partnerships to improve climate and environmental justice for all communities. There's a link in the show notes.

Another agency, the Licking County Ohio Environmental Health Department is taking steps to improve its work on a variety of climate related tasks with the help of performance management practices and tools. You can read more in an ASTHO blog article online now, read it by clicking the link in the show notes.

Public health may soon be able to predict the future. Dr. Dylan George leads a CDC project that feels a little bit like the local weather forecast.

DYLAN GEORGE: 

We're building a capability that will do for infectious diseases what National Weather Service has done for severe weather events.

JOHNSON: 

George says his team is working to combine hospital and wastewater data to help communities anticipate and prepare for outbreaks.

GEORGE: 

We learned by doing some pilot studies that layering wastewater data had the potential to improve our forecasts on COVID hospitalizations, it particularly at critical times, like when transmission is peaking or where were entering a surge in transmission.

JOHNSON: 

He's excited about the potential to understand the healthcare impacts of an outbreak before it happens.

GEORGE: 

So, we can get a better assessment of what's going to happen with hospital burden. These more accurate forecasts really give decision-makers more time to plan and respond, especially in those times of big change.

JOHNSON: 

You can see the work online. There's a link in the show notes.

Also today, ASTHO has two new members. Heidi Hedberg is commissioner of the Alaska Department of Health. Dr. Douglas Harrington is the state medical officer in Montana. You can read their bios in the ASTHO member directory. We've added the link to the show notes.

Finally, this morning, did you know asked her wants to send public health news to your email inbox every week. All you need to do is sign up for the Public Health Weekly email newsletter. The link is in the show notes.

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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.