Allison Wheeler, wastewater surveillance unit manager at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and co-director of the Wastewater Center of Excellence in Colorado, tells us about a recently published ASTHO report on ethical considerations in public health wastewater surveillance; Dawn...
Allison Wheeler, wastewater surveillance unit manager at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and co-director of the Wastewater Center of Excellence in Colorado, tells us about a recently published ASTHO report on ethical considerations in public health wastewater surveillance; Dawn Yohey, clinical program planner with the Department of Health and Human Services in Nevada, explains how the Fund for a Resilient Nevada will support projects to combat opioids over the next two decades; ASTHO’s Essentials of Leadership and Management Workshop Series kicks off on Wednesday, April 2; and CDC issued a Health Alert Network Health Update about the ongoing risk of dengue virus.
Nevada Web Page: Fund for a Resilient Nevada
Nevada Web Page: Funds awarded to support opioid prevention, community intervention and support
ASTHO Web Page: Series Topics and Sessions
JANSON SILVERS:
This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Thursday, March 20, 2025. I'm Janson Silvers. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
ALLISON WHEELER:
There was a working group that developed a Framework for Addressing Ethical Considerations in Public Health Wastewater Surveillance.
SILVERS:
ASTHO recently published a report on ethical considerations in wastewater surveillance. Allison Wheeler, with the Wastewater Center of Excellence in Colorado, was a member of the work group that created the report.
WHEELER:
Having an ethical framework for wastewater surveillance systems helps define the concerns that need to be addressed, provides overarching guidance about how to address those concerns and who to involve in the conversations.
SILVERS:
In Colorado, public health professionals have a lot of questions about ethical considerations.
WHEELER:
Is there a privacy concern with the targets or the size of the population where we're conducting wastewater surveillance? How are we sharing the data? Do we have the appropriate data-sharing policies in place to assure we're not identifying individuals or certain groups, and are we doing surveillance at the right sites? Does our system represent Colorado's population?
SILVERS:
Wheeler adds that now is the time to ask these questions.
WHEELER:
Similar to other monitoring systems that were set up during the pandemic, our wastewater surveillance system was set up quickly, and so, now that we're not in an urgent response situation, we have the opportunity to evaluate how wastewater surveillance is conducted and how it can best benefit our communities.
SILVERS:
Read the full report by clicking the link in the show notes.
The Fund for a Resilient Nevada is a revenue source that will support 30 projects to address the impact of opioids for the next two decades. Dawn Yohey, with the Department of Health and Human Services in Nevada, tells us more.
DAWN YOHEY:
So, we're hoping that we can fill gaps for youth who may be impacted by gestational substance exposure, by providing neurological assessments earlier in life and early intervention services prior to ending up in a legal situation or welfare touch points.
SILVERS:
Yohey says many of the projects are focused on youth and families.
YOHEY:
Yeah, we're funding projects to support full wraparound services for pregnant persons, including prenatal and postnatal care as well as family planning. We have providers hosting 'sober socials' in order to identify alternative activities while pregnant and to be supported by peers.
SILVERS:
Yohey adds that since Nevada is looking for a systemic change, the focus on younger populations makes sense.
YOHEY:
It really starts with, the prevention measures with our youngest Nevadans. And so, that is the Nevadans who are not born yet, and it goes all the way through our senior population, but we really need -- in order for us to make that generational change -- we have to put a lot of dollars in focus on our children here in the state.
SILVERS:
A news release about the fund is online now. Use the link in the show notes to check it out.
A new series from ASTHO could help you be a better leader. O'Keyla Cooper has more.
O'KEYLA COOPER:
Enhance your leadership skills with ASTHO's Essentials of Leadership and Management Workshop Series kicking off Wednesday, April 2, from 1:30-3:30 p.m. ET. This three-part series is designed for supervisors and managers in governmental public health agencies. The first session will dive into strategic skill building, focusing on self awareness, decision-making, and team performance. Secure your spot today via the link in the show notes.
SILVERS:
Finally, this morning, CDC issued a Health Alert Network Health Update about the ongoing risk of dengue virus that includes updates to testing recommendations. According to CDC, many countries, including the U.S., are reporting higher than normal cases of Dengue virus. You can read more by clicking 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 Janson Silvers. You're listening to the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition. Have a great day.
Allison Wheeler MSPH
Unit Manager, Wastewater Surveillance, Colorado Dept. of Public Health and Environment
Co-Director, Wastewater Center of Excellence in Colorado
