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Heidi Hedberg, commissioner for the Alaska Department of Health and an ASTHO member, tells us about Alaska's Youth Behavioral Health Roadmap; Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, former ASTHO member and the newest president and CEO of the Public Health Accreditation...
Heidi Hedberg, commissioner for the Alaska Department of Health and an ASTHO member, tells us about Alaska's Youth Behavioral Health Roadmap; Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, former ASTHO member and the newest president and CEO of the Public Health Accreditation Board, explains what brought her to her new role; ASTHO is now taking applications for the Implementing Pharmacist-Prescribed Contraception Learning Community; and there are several brand-new updates to ASTHO’s Legal Mapping Center.
Behavioral Health Roadmap Project for Alaska Youth
PHAB News Release: PHAB Names Joneigh Khaldun, MD, MPH, FACEP, As New President and CEO
ASTHO Web Page: Implementing Pharmacist-Prescribed Contraception Learning Community
ASTHO Web Page: Public Health Infrastructure
JANSON SILVERS:
This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Thursday, February 20, 2025. I'm Janson Silvers. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
HEIDI HEDBERG:
The Youth Behavioral Health Roadmap serves as a foundational piece in efforts to improve the behavioral health system for youth.
SILVERS:
ASTHO member Heidi Hedberg is the commissioner of the Alaska Department of Health. Hedberg says Alaska's Youth Behavioral Health Roadmap was a deep dive into the health of young people across the state.
HEDBERG:
We conducted visits across the state to five different regions, and in the evenings, we hosted listening sessions with parents and providers who really shared their challenges as they faced navigating the system.
SILVERS:
All of the work provided a lot of information to work with.
HEDBERG:
And what we heard was 47 recommendations which really formed the continuum of care, and that's around prevention and early intervention, outpatient supports, crisis and subacute care, residential services, and step down services.
SILVERS:
The plan also takes into account all of Alaska's diverse populations.
HEDBERG:
The plan prioritizes Alaska's cultural and regional diversity by engaging communities across the state, including rural and tribal areas. The tribal partners played a key role in organizing community meetings and were involved from day one in the planning process.
SILVERS:
Learn more about Alaska's Youth Behavioral Health Roadmap by clicking the link in the show notes, we will also link yesterday's episode of this newscast, which featured the first part of Hedberg's interview.
Dr. Joneigh Khaldun is a former ASTHO member who served as the chief deputy director for health in the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Most recently, Khaldun was chief health equity officer for CVS Health. Now, she's making her return to public health as the new president and CEO of the Public Health Accreditation Board.
JONEIGH KHALDUN:
I am incredibly excited about this opportunity, and really, the opportunity to work very directly with our local and state, tribal, and territorial health departments that is just the core of public health in this country. So, it's really exciting to be working in this space.
SILVERS:
On her return to a more direct role impacting public health, Khaldun says the move was an easy one.
KHALDUN:
And I'm someone who, at their core, wants to really advance the health of populations. And no matter where I've been, a– public or private sector, even working in the ER, if you've worked with me before, you know, I always try to build some type of public health program in the emergency departments that I work in.
SILVERS:
Leading PHAB, Khaldun realizes the current challenges ahead of public health, but also believes there are still a lot of opportunities.
KHALDUN:
My goal is really to make sure we are responding to the current needs of the public health ecosystem broadly, but also making sure that we are advancing the quality and infrastructure of public health and meeting our health departments wherever they are to improve that infrastructure.
SILVERS:
You can learn more about Khaldun and her new role by clicking the link in the show notes.
Also today, ASTHO is now taking applications for the Implementing Pharmacist-Prescribed Contraception Learning Community. ASTHO will provide technical assistance for those implementing PPC programs and approaches to contraceptive access. If that sounds like a good fit for you, you can head to the link in the show notes. That deadline to apply is March 5.
Finally, this morning, there are several brand new updates to ASTHO's Legal Mapping Center, which tracks legislation related to public health. There's new information on legislation related to AI, workforce pipeline programs, and more. Use the link in the show notes to check that out today.
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.
