703: Mapping Policy Data, Trauma Informed Leadership

ROBERT JOHNSON: 

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

SCOTT BURRIS: 

Scientific legal mapping is crucial to creating the data that evaluators can use to measure the health effects of laws and legal practices in a scientific and rigorous way.

JOHNSON: 

Scott Burris directs the Center for Public Health Law Research at Temple University.

BURRIS: 

And one of the things mapping does is giving people quick access to what their peers are doing, to find out what else is happening across the country and where they can get models or ideas that may be useful in their own jurisdictions.

JOHNSON: 

But it also can be challenging. Burris reminds us to ask a lot of questions about research we read online.

BURRIS: 

Where did the text come from? Who did that research? How did they determine the right effective dates? How did they code the terms of the law into some kind of data? What were the qualifications? And finally, what kind of quality control steps were taken to make sure that all this was done properly?

JOHNSON: 

ASTHO has a public health legal mapping center on its website, you can see extensive legal and legislative research on policies to prevent overdose. There is also a map that tracks legislation on public health and healthcare workforce policy. That's one of many links on this topic you'll find in today's show notes.

Data is key to accurate disease forecasting. But so is communication of that information to policymakers learn how to present public health information to elected officials and others in an ASTHO webinar on Thursday, July 18, sign up using the link in the show notes.

Public health workers are painfully aware of trauma in the workplace, the pandemic lead to anxiety and stress and caused many people to leave the field. Lamarr Lewis is a therapist and trainer. He's thinking about those who are still on the job.

LAMARR LEWIS: 

Many of us don't show up to work wanting to do a bad job or wanting to have these bad experiences. We really want to do the best work we can.

JOHNSON: 

However, trauma can get in the way. Lewis says leaders can help by taking part in trauma leadership training. One approach is to encourage workers to reflect on aspects of their lives that relate to their work.

LEWIS: 

Helping them to kind of guide them along the process of development, so that they're better able to be self directed in their professional development, as well as understanding their own autonomy within their workplace and really getting into that kind of job crafting where they're finding meaning and finding high levels of engagement in the work that they do.

JOHNSON: 

Learn more about trauma informed care by clicking the link in the show notes.

Finally, this morning, everyone wants to innovate, but trying to do so in a big organization might seem difficult. If that's you, then O'Keyla Cooper has information about a webinar you'll want to attend.

O'KEYLA COOPER: 

Join ASTHO on July 11 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time for a virtual webinar dedicated to exploring innovative strategies within public health systems. Participants will engage in interactive sessions focused on supporting and scaling innovative initiatives, fostering creative environments, and understanding emerging trends and public health innovation. Find the registration link in the show notes.

JOHNSON: 

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.