869: ASTHO Awarded on World TB Day, Island Priorities

JANSON SILVERS: 

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Monday, March 24, 2025. I'm Janson Silvers. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

AMELIA POULIN: 

ASTHO and myself were recognized as CDC U.S. TB Elimination Champions for our work in preventing and supporting treatment efforts for people living with TB and health agency programs.

SILVERS: 

That's ASTHO's Amelia Poulin sharing more about a recent honor CDC bestowed upon her and ASTHO for their work to address tuberculosis. Today is also World TB Day, and Poulin says many challenges still exist when it comes to suppressing the deadliest infectious disease in the world.

POULIN: 

Drug shortages make it difficult for public health programs and patients to access medication, and for those who are able to get treatment, they may be unable to tolerate the lengthy and demanding treatment regimens.

SILVERS: 

Poulin says other factors also play a part.

POULIN: 

Underfunded TB programs may lack resources to respond to large outbreaks, requiring partnership and cross-sector coordination to keep people healthy. And stigma surrounding TB can lead to delayed diagnosis and treatment, increasing risk transmission.

SILVERS: 

Poulin adds that public health has made strides in recent years.

POULIN: 

In January, CDC released updated treatment guidelines that have shortened the length of TB treatment to as little as four months, and health departments are also leveraging Digital Health Innovations, such as video-based, directly-observed therapy to help monitor treatment adherence while reducing the burden on the public health workforce.

SILVERS: 

Learn more about ASTHO and Poulin's award and about World TB Day by clicking the links in the show notes.

Although ASTHO's Executive Leadership Forum has ended, participants say its impact will have a long-lasting effect. Here's Moses Pretrick, the assistant secretary for health for the Federated States of Micronesia.

MOSES PRETRICK: 

For me, it's a good capacity building to learn, kind of, new techniques and new ways of, you know, sharpening your ability to, you know, communicate clear and important information on whatever public health issue to the general public. And part of it is making sure you know on how to deal with, you know, misinformation.

SILVERS: 

Pretrick says relaying the importance of federal grants was a top priority.

PRETRICK: 

It's always good to have this ongoing dialog with our U.S. partners, especially the decision-makers or the companies that actually continue to give us these grants over the years, and we just hope that in this review process that is ongoing, that we're hoping that we continue to receive these grants from the U.S.

SILVERS: 

Pretrick also wanted the most up to date information about Medicaid.

PRETRICK: 

Although we do not receive Medicaid in the Federated States of Micronesia, our citizens that live in the United States do benefit from that. Then you know, as we hear over the news that there's going to be possibly cut in Medicaid.

SILVERS: 

During the next few weeks, you'll hear more takeaways from this year's Spring Leadership Forum, so make sure you subscribe to this newscast wherever you get your podcasts.

Also, on April 3, ASTHO will host a webinar focused on how AmeriCorps is shaping public health in Indiana. Leaders from the Indiana Department of Health and the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors will speak. Sign up using the link in the show notes.

Finally, this morning, never miss a public health story. When you sign up for ASTHO's Public Health Weekly newsletter, which compliments this newscast. Each week, you will have the latest public health news in your inbox. Sign up today; just click 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.