835: Mission Zero, NASTAD Progress

JANSON SILVERS: 

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Monday, February 3, 2025. I'm Janson Silvers. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

PATRICIA TILLEY: 

So, Mission Zero is New Hampshire's collaborative effort to eliminate hospital emergency department psychiatric boarding by 2025.

SILVERS: 

Patricia Tilley is the associate commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services and an ASTHO member. Tilley says the goal is zero people waiting for in-patient psychiatric services.

TILLEY: 

We've created alternatives to long wait times in emergency departments, and we've done this by strengthening mobile crisis services. We've created incentives to increase psychiatric bed capacity. We've increased support for those transitioning to or from higher levels of mental health care. We have invested in housing, and we've created more peer support.

SILVERS: 

Tilley says there have been days when that goal has been reached, but even when they fall short, it's important to keep in mind how far they have come.

TILLEY: 

And then there are days we go backwards, but it's so important to know, you know, we were at a place years ago where it was common to have 50 or more people waiting in hospital emergency departments all around the state, waiting for indeterminate amounts of time.

SILVERS: 

While the program focuses on emergency rooms, Tilley knows the heart of the problem has to be addressed everywhere.

TILLEY: 

No one gets great care for their mental health condition while waiting in an emergency department. We need to have community supports. We need to have prevention in our communities. We need to make sure that people are getting the appropriate care at the appropriate time.

SILVERS: 

New Hampshire has an entire toolkit dedicated to Mission Zero. Use the link in the show notes to learn more.

The National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, or NASTAD, is one of the members of ASTHO's Affiliate Council. Dr. Stephen Lee, the executive director of NASTAD, gives us an update on the Ending HIV Epidemic, or EHE, program. 

STEPHEN LEE: 

With CDC/EHE funding, in 2021 to 2023 over 1 million HIV tests were conducted, over 600,000 at home HIV tests were distributed, and 4600 people were diagnosed with HIV. Similarly, CDC health department grantees identified about 140,000 HIV negative people through their testing efforts, and 64% of those folks who are tested-negatives were screened for pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, services. The funding also has helped with health equity, probably most importantly, with the EHE funds, health departments partnered with community-based organizations to provide tailored services to those who are disproportionately impacted by HIV.

SILVERS: 

Lee also says if the proposed national hepatitis C elimination initiative is adopted and funded, support from public health leaders will be key.

LEE: 

Health departments can increase the diagnostic capabilities of public health laboratories. They can support implementation of a perinatal HCV elimination program, archetype-C elimination program, build an even more robust infrastructure for surveillance, and outbreak response to support tracking of HCV diagnosis.

SILVERS: 

More information on ASTHO's Affiliate Council and NASTAD is available in the show notes.

Also, on tomorrow's episode of this newscast, Dr. Manisha Juthani joins us to discuss the role of PHIG in building a sustainable public health workforce infrastructure. That episode will be on your mobile device and wherever you find podcasts at 5 a.m. ET. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss a PHIG Impact Report.

Finally, this morning, as we make our way through 2025, make sure you check out ASTHO's 2025 Legislative Prospectus Series. The series highlights several policy briefs that ASTHO experts believe will be of note this coming year. It also includes a special message from ASTHO CEO Dr. Joseph Kanter. The link is in the show notes.

That'll do it for today. We're back tomorrow morning with more ASTHO news and information. I'm Janson Silvers. You're listening to the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition. Have a great day.