682: PH Trust in Three Steps, Mobile Clinics Roll in SD

ROBERT JOHNSON:   

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Monday, June 10, 2024. I'm Robert Johnson. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. 

TOM FRIEDEN:   

Rebuilding trust and public health is a matter of life and death. 

JOHNSON:   

Former CDC Director, Dr. Tom Frieden, sharing three steps, he says are needed to rebuild trust in Public Health. 

FRIEDEN:   

First, communicate better, second, limit to the absolute minimum the number of mandates or requirements, and third, rack up quick wins that matter to people.  

JOHNSON:   

Frieden now is President and CEO of a nonprofit called Resolve to Save Lives. His approach is outlined in a new article written for Stat News. 

FRIEDEN: 

For example, in communication, it's not just about talking, it's about listening. In mandates, it's understanding that we have to be able to explain clearly in a very limited situation where we do mandate something why this is necessary to protect people's health and in terms of wins we have to figure out what matters to people and what we can do about it to make progress. 

JOHNSON:   

Hear more from Dr. Frieden tomorrow here on the newscast. It's online at 5 a.m, eastern time. You also can read Frieden's Stat News opinion piece by clicking the link in the show notes.  

What do you do when your state is big, the population is small, and access to health care is a challenge. South Dakota has the answer. This is Secretary of Health and ASTHO member Melissa Magstadt.  

MELISSA MAGSTADT:   

One of the ways that we're addressing the challenges of transportation and healthcare access as literally putting a clinic on wheels to deliver those essential health care items out into the rural and frontier areas. 

JOHNSON:   

Magstadt says her department has five mobile clinics each covering a region of the state.  

MAGSTADT:   

Some have more territory than others because there's less people in those areas, but all of them have a certain area that they're responsible for. So, we can mobilize and have on scheduling basis is where those clinics will be. 

JOHNSON:   

The mobile clinics are expected to deliver a wide range of basic public health services. 

MAGSTADT:   

We might not be able to build a tertiary center in our frontier area. But we should be able to give public health accessibility across the board even to the frontier areas. We're just going to do it on wheels now instead.  

JOHNSON:   

Learn more about the Wellness on Wheels program using the link in the show notes.  

Also today a new ASTHO report outlines dozens of resources agencies can use to inform their suicide prevention efforts. O'Keyla Cooper has more. 

O'KEYLA COOPER:   

Disproportionately affected populations in the US have higher rates of suicide or attempts compared to the general population. High quality data is crucial for monitoring suicide, non-fatal outcomes, risk factors, identifying inequities, and informing prevention strategies and ASTHO resources available to help health agencies create more equitable programs to prevent suicide and suicidal behavior. Download the full resource by clicking the link in the show notes.  

JOHNSON:   

Finally this morning, stay ahead of everything happening in Congress. When you sign up for ASTHO's Legislative Alert emails, join the list using 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 are 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