665: Syphilis Warm Line, Equity Work Recognized

ROBERT JOHNSON: 

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Wednesday, May 15, 2024. I'm Robert Johnson. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

MAURA QUINLIN: 

It's a single entry point, a single phone number, for clinicians to call to get clinical guidance.

JOHNSON: 

Illinois has a warm line where providers can talk with medical experts about their patients congenital syphilis cases. This is Maura Quinlin with the state health department.

QUINLIN: 

So, calling the syphilis connects the caller with maternal-fetal medicine specialists, pediatric infectious disease specialists, adult infectious disease, to help with clinical guidance for the pregnant person or the newborn.

JOHNSON: 

Quinlin adds the line gives clinicians access to the state's treatment database.

QUINLIN: 

The warm line could tell the caller your patient had this tighter this time was treated etc. So, can get that past information, and can also help them in reporting to their local health departments that they are required to do and to help connect them to local health department resources to help treat their patient.

JOHNSON: 

You can read a news release about the service and a letter the state sent to providers by clicking the link in the show notes.

Guam has won an award for its work in health equity. Patrick Luces is with Guam's Department of Public Health and Social Services.

PATRICK LUCES: 

And our team proudly received the 2023 National Association of Chronic Disease Directors Health Equity Championship Award for all our efforts and health equity.

JOHNSON: 

Luces says the award recognizes, among other work, Guam's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

So we've assessed over 5000 individuals since 2020, and over 2000 were identified into the health related linkages and referred for support for services such as food stamp insurance or Medicaid, jobs, housing, weights, etc.

JOHNSON: 

The team also played a critical role in helping residents recover from a super typhoon.

LUCES: 

Our team was activated to work around the clock to help the skilled nursing unit to assist with patient care for people badly affected by the typhoon. Our team was also assigned to assist in different rescue shelters to provide services for COVID-19 mitigation, testing, childhood immunizations.

JOHNSON: 

Read more about equity work in the island areas using the links in the show notes. Also today, get the latest information about pharmacist prescribed contraception during an ASTHO webinar happening tomorrow, Thursday, May 16. The webinar begins at 2:30 p.m. Eastern time, you can sign up to learn more about these services using the link in the show notes.

Finally, this morning, if you're looking for a career in public health, ASTHO has an interactive map to help you find openings in your state. You can find it on the publichealthcareers.org homepage. There's a link 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 are 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.