Emi Chutaro, executive director of the Pacific Island Health Officers Association, explains what she hopes others gain from Pacific Islander Heritage Month; Paul Bonta, director of government relations for the Safe States Alliance, tells us about his...
Emi Chutaro, executive director of the Pacific Island Health Officers Association, explains what she hopes others gain from Pacific Islander Heritage Month; Paul Bonta, director of government relations for the Safe States Alliance, tells us about his organization’s most recent advocacy day; and a new ASTHO blog article highlights recent congressional hearings focused on key challenges facing older adults.
National Archives Web Page: Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
ASTHO Blog Article: Hearings Spotlight Inflation, Opioids, and Other Challenges Facing Older Adults
ASTHO Web Page: State and Territorial Administrative Readiness (STAR) Center
JANSON SILVERS:
This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Monday, April 28, 2025. I'm Janson Silvers. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
EMI CHUTARO:
One really key message, particularly with Pacific Islander Heritage Month is to say that the Pacific matters in the national dialogue.
SILVERS:
Emi Chutaro is the executive director of the Pacific Island Health Officers Association, or PIHOA for short, Pacific Islander Heritage Month begins later this week, and Chutaro wants everyone to know about the valuable contributions her people make every day.
CHUTARO:
So, I think, from that perspective, you know, the core of Pacific Islander Heritage Month, I hope would be able to promote the critical fact that Pacific Islander health, Pacific Islanders, just in general, you know, across the Pacific and here in the United States, are valuable contributors to the United States on different levels.
SILVERS:
Chutaro hopes Pacific Islander Heritage Month is a way for many communities to be valued.
CHUTARO:
We hope that there's recognition of the value, you know, of our people, but also the value of humanity as well, that you know all of us, whether we are Pacific Islanders or tribal nations or other racial ethnic groups.
SILVERS:
Lastly, Chutaro tells us what she wants the messaging behind the month to be,
CHUTARO:
We all contribute to health. We all contribute to being able to live, you know, healthy, productive lives. So, I hope that with the Pacific Islander Heritage Month, that kind of messaging becomes more clear and more targeted, and hope it can be heard more broadly.
SILVERS:
Learn more about Pacific Islander Heritage Month when you click the links in the show notes.
ASTHO Affiliate Council member Safe States Alliance recently wrapped up its Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill. Safe States' Paul Bonta says it was a rousing success.
PAUL BONTA:
Our goal was to organize the largest Advocacy Day ever for the Safe States Alliance, which we were able to do. So, we had just over 100 congressional visits on March 20, and the goal of Advocacy Day was to educate policy-makers about the value and the impact that injury and violence prevention programs have in the communities that they represent.
SILVERS:
Bonta explains the issues Safe States' membership brought to the Hill
BONTA:
Their request oftentimes focused on urging members of their congressional delegation to continue to support the work that they do, to continue to support federal investments in injury and violence prevention programs that are administered largely through the CDC Injury Center.
SILVERS:
Bonta also says that ASTHO members have a role to play.
BONTA:
So, they are uniquely positioned to promote the injury and violence prevention work, to the partner organizations they work with, to their local leaders. They're also uniquely positioned to promote this work as they engage in discussions with policy-makers, not just at the state level, but at the federal level as well.
SILVERS:
We have more information on Safe States Alliance in the show notes.
Also, ASTHO is taking a deeper look at obstacles older adults face. O'Keyla Cooper has more.
O'KEYLA COOPER:
A new ASTHO blog article highlights recent congressional hearings focused on key challenges facing older adults, including inflation, opioid use, post-acute care access, and social isolation. Lawmakers offered a range of solutions, and ASTHO is closely monitoring proposals that could impact health and support services for this growing population. Read the full article using the link in the show notes.
SILVERS:
Finally, this morning, ASTHO's State and Territorial Administrative Readiness, or STAR, Center offers resources and tools to help state and territorial health agencies modernize and strengthen administrative and organizational capacities. Use the link in the show notes to access it 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.
