673: ASTHO Reports New PH Policies, Behavioral Health Urgent Care Centers

ROBERT JOHNSON: 

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Tuesday, May 28, 2024. I'm Robert Johnson. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

MAGGIE DAVIS: 

So, we've seen some really interesting legislation come through.

JOHNSON: 

ASTHO tracking the progress of state legislatures across the country, measuring their work on public health policy against top issues outlined late last year. Maggie Davis says public health authority made some headway.

DAVIS: 

Hawaii's legislature recently passed Senate Bill 3122, which gives the public health official broad authority to issue standing orders for people 18 years and older to receive evidence-based services as recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

JOHNSON: 

Davis says tobacco use and exposure also received attention in some state capitals.

DAVIS: 

Connecticut recently enacted a bill that expands their Clean Indoor Air Act to prohibit vaping at dog racing tracks. And the Maryland legislature passed a bill that would update their Clean Indoor Air Act to prohibit vaping and other public indoor areas and mass transportation.

JOHNSON: 

Davis adds there's been some movement on workforce policy, although ASTHO would like to see more done to advance those priorities.

DAVIS: 

We've seen a little bit in efforts to assess the public health workforce and legislators are still really trying to get a handle over where some of the gaps are.

JOHNSON: 

More than half of state legislatures are done for the year. ASTHO reports on the impact lawmakers have had so far in a pair of blog articles available online now. The links to both are in the show notes.

North Carolina will spend more to build a network of behavioral health urgent care centers, State Secretary of Health and Human Services, Cody Kinsley, says another $15 million is being spent to improve access.

CODY KINSLEY: 

These are places where we have trained behavioral health clinicians to support folks in crisis to do de-escalation and then help, most importantly, connect them to ongoing care, whatever that needs to look like.

JOHNSON: 

Kinsley says the centers are designed to meet the needs of people in crisis.

KINSLEY: 

These behavioral health urgent cares not only have the right type of expertise in the professionals that work there, but they're built differently to help de-escalate that, just make people feel better and support them in getting connected to care.

JOHNSON: 

North Carolina predicts the additional money will increase its capacity to provide behavioral health urgent care by almost 50%. You can read a news release about the investment by clicking the link in the show notes.

Also today, ASTHO celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with reflections offered by public health leaders in the Island Areas. This is Moses Pretrick, assistant secretary for Health in the Federated States of Micronesia.

MOSES PRETRICK: 

We're always very proud to be Micronesian. We're a unique indigenous group of people they know we have our own unique cultures. And we also come from a region that we feel is very important to the United States as well as the world in terms of the environment that we live in and help keep safe.

JOHNSON: 

Finally, this morning, stay in touch with work on Capitol Hill. When you sign up to receive ASTHO's Legislative Alert Emails, all you need to do is click the 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're on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X.

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.