781: Disaster Effects on Children, DELPH Applications Due

SUMMER JOHNSON: 

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Wednesday, October 30, 2024. I'm Summer Johnson. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials

DANIEL DODGEN: 

In some situations, they are much more vulnerable than adults are, and in other situations, they may not necessarily be more vulnerable, but their reactions and their specific vulnerabilities may be different.

JOHNSON: 

Earlier this year, ASTHO, in collaboration with the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, or ASPR, hosted a listening session focused on the effects of disasters on children. Dr. Dan Dodgen, with ASPR, says the event was important because children and adults experience things much differently.

DODGEN: 

Our goal was to pull together just smart, knowledgeable people who are experienced in working with children and working in disasters and emergency preparedness to talk about, you know, what are the things on the horizon?

JOHNSON: 

The listening session brought professionals from many different disciplines.

DODGEN: 

There are so many different disciplines that can help us better understand the needs of children. And it isn't just expertise, it's also experience, right? People who you know by virtue of having responded to many disasters or been part of state or local or territorial or tribal efforts to respond, they've seen things in terms of how children were impacted, that will also give us additional insights.

JOHNSON: 

Dodgen says his time in community mental health taught him that children don't have to lose a home or be displaced; having a disaster happen around them or in their community is enough to affect them.

DODGEN: 

It's often scary for kids, whether we're talking about, sort of, climate change and extreme weather and eco-anxiety and how that impacts teenagers more than it impacts other groups, or whether we're talking about seeing something on television.

JOHNSON: 

ASTHO has an online blog resource about how emergency preparedness can better protect children's mental health. Use the link in the show notes to read it.

The feedback is coming in from ASTHO's, Diverse Executives Leading in Public Health program. Keon Lewis, with C4 innovations, is a graduate of the DELPH program. He says the program not only made him a better leader, but also expanded his view of the workforce.

KEON LEWIS: 

Being able to be in that space, to learn from these collective individuals, to learn from their respective lived experiences, was a huge influence on me, and it kind of provided me with the information and the insights to broaden my lens on the scope of equity, but to also find other ways to collaborate with these other areas outside of what I was already doing.

JOHNSON: 

Lewis says he was able to immediately use what he learned in the DELPH program.

LEWIS: 

You can put it into action right away. And so for anyone that's looking to apply to this program, they need to know and understand that you're going to walk away with tools that's going to make you a better leader, immediately.

JOHNSON: 

Lewis has been able to take what DELPH taught him and combine it with what he brought to the table in the mental health space.

LEWIS: 

I'm also looking at it from the standpoint of- as a leader and as I'm developing and as I'm seeing others develop, how is my leadership style? How is your leadership style impacting others' mental health outcomes?

JOHNSON: 

You too can apply to be part of the DELPHprogram, but the deadline is coming up. O'Keyla Cooper explains.

O'KEYLA COOPER: 

Applications for ASTHO's, Diverse Executives Leading in Public Health program close tomorrow, October 31. This is the final opportunity to apply and join a network of mid- to senior-level public health professionals advancing their careers through mentorship and peer support. The application link is in the show notes.

JOHNSON: 

Finally, today, applications are now open for ASTHO's Over-the-Counter Contraception Academy. The Academy will allow your team and partners to develop the skills needed to engage in policy-related work surrounding OTC contraception. You'll gain hands-on experience using policy development frameworks to identify key issues and opportunities for OTC contraception access. Applications are due by January 10.

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 Summer Johnson. You're listening to the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition. Have a great day.