841: Opioid Overdose Tool, Adolescent Behavioral Health

JANSON SILVERS: 

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Tuesday, February 11, 2025. I'm Janson Silvers. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

MIA CHRISTOPHER: 

The Opioid Overdose Community Decision Tool is a data-driven free online resource that was developed by the Healing Communities Study to help communities make informed decisions about addressing the overdose crisis.

SILVERS: 

Mia Christopher is a research epidemiologist at RTI International. She explains how ASTHO members may be able to use the Opioid Overdose Community Decision Tool for their own communities.

CHRISTOPHER: 

Public health professionals can use this to advocate for funding, for policy changes, for community-based interventions by presenting the evidence-based insights from this tool, this could be at local coalitions, at settlement boards, and other decision-making bodies.

SILVERS: 

The tool uses a five- to 10-minute survey format that doesn't require extensive data.

CHRISTOPHER: 

At the end of the tool, the users receive a custom list of recommended strategies. Each of the recommendations includes an explanation of what the evidence-based strategy is. We also provide a real-world example from a community, part of the Healing Community Study, and how they implemented the strategy.

SILVERS: 

Christopher sees the tool making a real difference.

CHRISTOPHER: 

The tool is meant to complement existing public health efforts that are already happening on the ground, not replace anything. So, we help. It enhances decision-making and makes it easier to identify those strategies and act upon them quickly.

SILVERS: 

More information on the Opioid Overdose Community Decision Tool is in the show notes.

One of ASTHO's most popular online resources of 2024 was a blog article authored by ASTHO's Lexa Giragosian.

LEXA GIRAGOSIAN: 

The blog really overviews the negative impact of eating disorders and their disproportionate effect on adolescent girls. It also highlights some current state policy actions on this topic, as well as some recommendations for state strategies to address the impact of eating disorders on adolescent girls.

SILVERS: 

Geragosian says that the popularity of the online resource makes sense.

GIRAGOSIAN: 

Well, if you look at ASTHO's Environmental Scan from 2024, you can actually see that behavioral health among youth was a top priority for our State Health Officials and Territorial Health Officials, their agencies as well.

SILVERS: 

Giragosian adds that several states are working out the best way to keep adolescents safe.

GIRAGOSIAN: 

Some other states down south, like Mississippi and Tennessee, really getting into the parental consent for social media usage of youth, as well as some age verification and restrictions in that space. So, policies are really changing in regards to protecting youth from mental health issues such as eating disorders.

SILVERS: 

Giragosian's full article, as well as a link to the most popular ASTHO resources of 2024, are in the show notes.

Also, an ASTHO toolkit is aimed at improving working relationships between a health agency's internal staff and external partners. The toolkit walks you through some virtual engagement techniques. You can learn more by clicking the link in the show notes.

Finally, this morning, ASTHO's 2025 Legislative Prospectus Series highlights several policy briefs that ASTHO believes will be of note this coming year. Plus, it has a special message from ASTHO CEO Dr. Joseph Kanter. Check it out 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.