744: ICF AI Webinar, Colorado’s New Mentorship Program

SUMMER JOHNSON: 

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Friday, September 6, 2024. I'm Summer Johnson.

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

JOHN AUERBACH: 

This webinar is intended to separate the speculation from the reality, with a focus on what can be done now and in the next year in the public health sector, and how to get ready and to tell us about that.

S. JOHNSON: 

John Auerbach is the senior vice president for health at tech consultant ICF. He's part of a panel that ICF has put together for an upcoming webinar titled The Role of AI in Advancing Public Health.

AUERBACH: 

And now's the time to build our skills, awareness, and action steps. And the webinar is designed to facilitate that process by bringing in people who are already engaged in AI in a concrete and specific way, so they can talk about what does it look like when you actually try to incorporate it into the public health field?

S. JOHNSON: 

Auerbach says public health must be involved every step of the way.

AUERBACH: 

What I would say is important to consider is that no matter what AI can do, it's always critical that there's a human, that there's public health staff in the loop, monitoring the data that's being accessed and the conclusions that are being made.

S. JOHNSON: 

While we've heard about the flaws of AI, Auerbach says we can decrease those risks by asking the right questions.

AUERBACH: 

I think the first thing is being clear on what problem is AI solving. We needed to solve problems, not to just independently function. So, first of all, what is it solving and how can it make work easier and more focused on serving the public and promoting health?

S. JOHNSON: 

ICF's webinar is next week on September 12, at noon Eastern Time. You can register by using the link in the show notes.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment recently launched the Athena Success Partnering Program. Paula Lee, the manager of public health training at the organization says the online staff mentorship initiative is open to all local public health agency staff.

PAULA LEE: 

The program provides some great resources for public health professionals in Colorado. And in addition to educational resources, it also creates opportunities to connect with colleagues, to find or to be a mentor, and then to get expert information from those with specialized knowledge.

S. JOHNSON: 

Lee says Colorado's different communities make mentorship even more important. 

LEE: 

Colorado is really unique in that we have urban, rural, frontier and mountain and plains communities. So it's critical for public health professionals in these diverse settings to be able to get the information they need to do their important work, and the Athena program helps to facilitate that.

S. JOHNSON: 

The mentorship program software is funded by the public health infrastructure grant, and Lee's excited to see where this program goes from here.

LEE: 

So we've created a really solid foundation for the program, and now we want to build on it to welcome new participants, increase the available resources, and to really make sure that local public health agency staff can easily connect, not only with the expertise that they need, but also to get support from their colleagues who are doing similar work across the state.

S. JOHNSON: 

An ASTHO blog article covers the ins and outs of Colorado's new mentorship program. There's a link in the show notes.

Another initiative funded by the public health infrastructure grant is the new Data Modernization Implementation Center Program from ASTHO, the CDC, NNPHI, and PHAB. The aim is to support public health agencies with the adoption of the latest IT standards. If you want to learn more or apply for funding, you can use the link in the show notes.

Also today, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, also known as SAMHSA, is hosting the inaugural 9-8-8 day. Monica Johnson is with SAMHSA.

MONICA JOHNSON: 

One of our biggest goals around 9-8-8 is that people know what it is and that people are educated about what it is. So we are still finding creative ways and 9-8-8 day, #988Day, is a way to do that. So we're asking communities all across the country to come up with creative ways in which they are promoting and lifting up 9-8-8.

S. JOHNSON: 

Johnson wants public health to think outside the box when it comes to spreading the word about 9-8-8.

M. JOHNSON: 

Thinking about non-traditional ways in which you can meet people where they are, in their communities, where people actually live, play, work, etc, and not just in the confines of the smaller circle space that public health officials tend to think about, sometimes me being one of those people, right.

S. JOHNSON: 

Finally, this morning, the Illinois Department of Public Health has launched its own podcast called This is Public Health. The goal is to enhance the well-being of everyone in Illinois. In the first episode, ASTHO member and Illinois Department of Public Health director, Dr. Sameer Vohra, joins the show to discuss various public health efforts in the state. We have a link in the show notes.

That'll do it for today. We're back on Monday morning with more ASTHO news and information.

I'm Summer Johnson, you're listening to the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition.

Have a great weekend.