Kyle Mangloña, onboarding experience manager at the Washington State Department of Health, tells us about the department’s revamped onboarding program; Lindsey Myers, ASTHO vice president for Public Health Workforce and Infrastructure, gives us an...
Kyle Mangloña, onboarding experience manager at the Washington State Department of Health, tells us about the department’s revamped onboarding program; Lindsey Myers, ASTHO vice president for Public Health Workforce and Infrastructure, gives us an update on the progress PHIG recipients have made in year two; an ASTHO blog article details Maryland’s success for its Building a Healthier Maryland initiative; and ASTHO has a toolkit to help you improve virtual working relationships.
ASTHO Blog Article: Maryland Achieves Success Through Thoughtful Planning
ASTHO Web Page: Engaging Partners in a Virtual Space
SUMMER JOHNSON:
This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Monday, February 24, 2025. I'm Summer Johnson. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
KYLE MANGLOÑA:
So, focusing on the first six months of an employee's journey here at our organization, we just thought that by adding to that, by making that more engaging, we could really affect the employee experience.
JOHNSON:
Kyle Mangloña is with the Washington State Department of Health and tells us the reasoning behind the department's revamping of its onboarding program.
MANGLOÑA:
You know, onboarding at most places, particularly at government agencies, can oftentimes just feel technical, you know, like, Let's sign an I-9, let's get you a badge, let's get you a computer. But we inserted a lot of things that make it a little bit more communal.
JOHNSON:
Mangloña says their onboarding program is now called LAUNCH, and it feels more like a college orientation.
MANGLOÑA:
We've gotten really, really positive feedback about that experience, that in-person experience, because we do call all employees to campus for for day one. So, after that, we go to LAUNCH, which is on day two, which is our new employee orientation product. And that is around four hours that begins with largely engagement activities.
JOHNSON:
Mangloña adds that first impressions are crucial, and that this program allows employees to acclimate quicker than before.
MANGLOÑA:
I think one of our jobs is to get employees to the space where they are successful as early on as possible. So, there's not that time of you know, two to three to four weeks of just kind of feeling like you're swimming in the ocean.
JOHNSON:
As we continue to report on how states are using and succeeding with the Public Health Infrastructure Grant, or PHIG, ASTHO's Lindsey Myers says the progress recipients have made from Year One to Year Two has been impressive.
LINDSEY MYERS:
During the first year of the Public Health Infrastructure Grant, or we often refer to as PHIG, jurisdictions did a lot of planning, but in Year Two, we really started to see implementation take off.
JOHNSON:
Some states have used PHIG for disease threats.
MYERS:
For example, the Delaware Division of Public Health has been using PHIG funding to enhance its ability to prevent, identify, and respond to disease outbreaks. They're adding disease investigative specialists in rural areas where healthcare access is limited. In Hawaii, they're using their PHIG funding to get ready for public health accreditation, which is really important, and something a lot of jurisdictions are using their funding for.
JOHNSON:
Others are using the grant to boost workforce and infrastructure. All recipients have access to ASTHO for assistance they may need.
MYERS:
So, we spend a lot of time looking at work plans, seeing what conversations are happening in the field, and really trying to think, how can we be proactive to support jurisdictions with resources that they could really use for their work, before they even know that they need them, and that's what we spend a lot of time doing.
JOHNSON:
Myers says that in Year Three of PHIG, public health agencies can expect ASTHO and the other PHIG partners to support communications needs. This newscast has a twice monthly PHIG Impact Report that highlights many PHIG wins across the country. Plus, you can learn more about PHIG by clicking the link in the show notes.
Also, an ASTHO blog article details Maryland's success for its Building a Healthier Maryland initiative. Read how Maryland used PHIG and technical assistance from ASTHO to build skills and capacity in foundational capabilities that included assessment and developing community partnerships. You can use the link in the show notes to learn how they did it.
Finally, this morning, a challenge you may be dealing with alongside other public health professionals, is engaging partners in a virtual environment. ASTHO has a toolkit to help you improve virtual working relationships. It's online now. You can find it 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.
Kyle Mangloña MPA
Onboarding Experience Manager, Office of People Services, Washington State Department of Health