790: New ACIP Recommendations, PH-HERO Event

SUMMER JOHNSON: 

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Wednesday, November 13, 2024. I'm Summer Johnson. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

MANISHA JUTHANI: 

The recommendation that was made is that everybody 65 and older is eligible for a second COVID shot in the '24 - '25 season at the six month mark. So, after getting your vaccine, six months or later, you can get a second vaccine.

JOHNSON: 

Dr. Manisha Juthani, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health and ASTHO president-elect, breaks down some of the recommendations from the most recent meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP.

JUTHANI: 

RSV vaccines, there was no decisions that were made, but there was a lot of discussion on where we stand this season compared to last, and where we may go in future seasons.

JOHNSON: 

Juthani says, for years, the strategy around pneumococcal vaccination has been flawed.

JUTHANI: 

What we've seen over many years, pneumococcal vaccination strategy has been very confusing. We've had a variety of different types of pneumococcal vaccines over the years, and if you had one, 'should you get this one or that one?' It's always very interesting and confusing to try to navigate that.

JOHNSON: 

However, ACIP's decision to lower the threshold age makes a lot of sense.

MANISHA JUTHANI: 

What they found is that people in the 50 to 65 age group were more vulnerable to pneumococcal disease given that they have- most people have not routinely been vaccinated. So, the decision to lower the threshold to 50 is really one based on looking at lots of epidemiologic data.

JOHNSON: 

You can read more about ACIP's most recent decisions by clicking the link in the show notes.

ASTHO recently held an agency advocate event for the PH-HERO or Public Health, Hope, Equity, Resilience, and Opportunity initiative. ASTHO's Kelsey Tillema explains.

KELSEY TILLEMA: 

We really wanted to create space for workforce directors and well-being leads from our different PH-Hero sites to connect and just to be able to discuss different challenges, successes, and planning strategies with one another.

JOHNSON: 

This year's cohort has done a lot of work focused on trauma-informed leadership training.

TILLEMA: 

So, we had a training that was offered for all staff, one that was offered for supervisors, and then one that's currently continuing for advocates. So, these are different levels that we've offered the training at to incorporate some trauma-informed leadership concepts into different agencies.

JOHNSON: 

Tillema hopes this recharges attendees for the future.

TILLEMA: 

It was a day and a half long and we had some great presenters come on-site along with us, and the hope overall was just that attendees would leave with some new strategies to further well-being initiatives at their agencies and to hopefully create some momentum for the coming year by encouraging those participants to plan three-, six-, and 12-month goals for the future.

JOHNSON: 

Also today, make sure to check out the Public Health Infrastructure Grant newsletter for all things PHIG. Important information, like deadlines, events, resources, and opportunities are all included. A link to sign up is in the show notes.

Finally, this morning, ASTHO wants to remind you about its Public Health Weekly newsletter, the perfect compliment to the Morning Edition newscast. Each installment covers the latest public health news, ASTHO's work with Congress and the White House, policy happenings in the states and territories, and much more. There's also a link to that in the show notes.

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.