739: New Maternal Health Dashboards, Urine Tests Look for Chemicals in Minnesota Kids

ROBERT JOHNSON: 

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Thursday, August 29, 2024. I'm Robert Johnson.

Now today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

JENNIFER SHUFORD: 

We know that there are different groups that are trying to develop programs or health interventions all across Texas.

JOHNSON: 

But those groups and organizations need data. The state has it. The challenge is how to share it.

Texas State Health Commissioner and ASTHO member Dr. Jennifer Shuford says static reports are making way for new online dashboards that present data sooner than before, and at the county level.

SHUFORD: 

We're trying to show disease trends over time or conditions over time, so that people understand how things are trending in Texas. Also looking to break it down into demographics, so that people understand if there's particular age groups or other demographic groups that are being impacted differentially.

JOHNSON: 

Shuford says the approach also allows users to decide how they want to receive the state's data.

SHUFORD: 

We have links at the bottom of our dashboard where people can just download the data set, do the analysis themselves, especially researchers. We also have ways that individuals can just push a button to download a PowerPoint slide. So all that information that's on our dashboard can just be downloaded onto a slide for them to slip into a presentation.

JOHNSON: 

The dashboards currently include maternal and infant health information. The plan is to continue to add new data sets that providers and researchers need as they work to better serve these populations.

SHUFORD: 

And so by getting our data out there, we are hoping to reach all of those different populations that, all you know, try to intervene in a woman's health journey at different times. We're trying to make that data as accessible as possible.

JOHNSON: 

The Texas dashboards are online and available using the link in the show notes.

Families in Minnesota can know if their young children have been exposed to toxic chemicals thanks to a new program that offers urine testing for more than 70 different environmental substances. Dr Jessica Nelson is at the state health department.

JESSICA NELSON: 

The chemicals we're testing include metals, pesticides, environmental phenols, flame retardants, phthalates and others. And these come from many different exposures that kids might be having, from food, from water, from air, from personal care products, from toys.

JOHNSON: 

Nelson says more than 1300 kids are currently in the Healthy Kids Minnesota program. She says the test provides information that is normally not included in a routine medical screening.

NELSON: 

When we share the results with families, which is a big part of what we do. They get a lot of information about, what are these chemicals, how are kids coming into contact with them, and really importantly, tips for reducing exposures. Which for a lot of families, is new information.

JOHNSON: 

Nelson adds, the resulting data can sometimes inform a more urgent response.

NELSON: 

There are also a handful of chemicals where, if the child's urine result comes back over a certain threshold, we do a special response. We call the family more quickly. We talk about possible exposure sources, and ways the child might be exposed.

JOHNSON: 

Read more about the testing program using the link in the show notes.

Also today, a conversation is happening soon about the connection between psychological safety and an equitable workplace. O'Keyla Cooper has that story.

O'KEYLA COOPER: 

Join ASTHO on Wednesday, September 18th, at 4pm Eastern Time for the third national convening of the STRETCH 2.0 initiative. This virtual event co-hosted by ASTHO, the CDC Foundation, and MPHI will focus on psychological safety, and its role in fostering an equitable workplace. Register now via the link in the show notes.

JOHNSON: 

Finally, this morning, it's been 25 years since the West Nile virus was first detected in people in the United States. Today, it's the leading cause of mosquito borne disease in the US. The CDC recently released a national strategy to prevent and control vector borne diseases in people. You can download it by clicking 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.