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Heidi Hedberg, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Health and an ASTHO Member, describes Alaska's Comprehensive Integrated Mental Health Program Plan; Julia Greenspan, director of Infectious Disease Infrastructure and Policy at ASTHO, explains...
Heidi Hedberg, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Health and an ASTHO member, describes Alaska's Comprehensive Integrated Mental Health Program Plan; Julia Greenspan, director of Infectious Disease Infrastructure and Policy at ASTHO, explains how ASTHO’s new syphilis web page could help public health leaders; applications are now open for the 2025 ASTHO Leadership Institute; and the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention is inviting you to participate in a needs assessment.
Alaska's Comprehensive Integrated Mental Health Program Plan
ASTHO Web Page: ASTHO Leadership Institute
National Strategy for Suicide Prevention Web Page: 2025 SPRC National Strategy Needs Assessment
SUMMER JOHNSON:
This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Wednesday, February 19, 2025. I'm Summer Johnson. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
HEIDI HEDBERG:
A state program designed to plan, coordinate and provide services for Alaskans experiencing mental health conditions, developmental disabilities, substance use disorders, Alzheimer's disease, and traumatic brain injuries.
JOHNSON:
ASTHO member Heidi Hedberg is the commissioner of the Alaska Department of Health. Hedberg is describing Alaska's Comprehensive Integrated Mental Health Program Plan.
HEDBERG:
I think it's important to highlight that a key feature of the plan is the objectives and strategies. That's really broken down into 10 focus areas, and it's really that continuum, early childhood, youth, health care, economic and social well-being, substance use disorder prevention, suicide prevention, protecting vulnerable Alaskans, and services in that least restrictive environment or institutional settings in workforce and data.
JOHNSON:
Children's mental health is also a priority.
HEDBERG:
And so, Alaska has outlined several key goals for integrating early intervention into children's mental health initiatives and other public health departments may find value in adopting all or some of these objectives that we're working on.
JOHNSON:
Hedberg also says the department is tracking how well the program is working.
HEDBERG:
Alaska uses a scorecard to measure the plan's effectiveness, and this tool really helps us measure that progress over those 10 areas, and then we can make adjustments to the strategies when we see the data.
JOHNSON:
You can head to the show notes for a link to learn more about Alaska's Comprehensive Integrated Mental Health Program Plan. Also make sure to tune in to this newscast tomorrow morning, because we'll hear more from Commissioner Hedberg on Alaska's youth behavioral health.
Syphilis continues to be a concern for health departments across the country, and ASTHO has launched a new web page with resources to help. Here's ASTHO's Julia Greenspan.
JULIA GREENSPAN:
It's going to be a place for us to share all of our existing syphilis resources, as well as everything new that we are continuing to develop to support state health departments.
JOHNSON:
The online hub will give members access to all the resources for syphilis that ASTHO continues to develop.
GREENSPAN:
And then we're also really looking forward to continuing to share the new resources that we're developing, which will be including a communications campaign and some one-page technical assistance requests that we've fulfilled.
JOHNSON:
Greenspan hopes the online hub will be helpful for state health officials to customize their own programs.
GREENSPAN:
Of course, it would be great if every jurisdiction can implement everything, but that's not the reality. Every jurisdiction is unique and has different target populations. And by having all of this information in one place, we're hoping the jurisdictions can go and see what is relevant to their jurisdiction and implement those best practices.
JOHNSON:
The ASTHO syphilis online hub is available now. You can use the link in the show notes to check it out today.
Also today, applications are now open for the 2025 ASTHO Leadership Institute. Leaders of state and territorial public health agencies can apply today to be part of a cohort that will have executive coaching, expert-led workshops, retreats, practical applications, and networking. You can learn more when you click the link in the show notes.
Finally, this morning, the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention is inviting you to participate in a needs assessment. The organization wants to know how your department is handling suicide prevention. You can help using the link 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.
