Alex Karydi, states and territories initiatives director at the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, details a recent assessment from SPRC that looked at the ability of states and territories to prevent suicide successfully; Emily Lapayowker, ASTHO’s assistant director of web content, uses Global Accessibility Awareness Day to explain why digital access and inclusion are so important..
Alex Karydi, states and territories initiatives director at the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, details a recent assessment from SPRC that looked at the ability of states and territories to prevent suicide successfully; Emily Lapayowker, ASTHO’s assistant director of web content, uses Global Accessibility Awareness Day to explain why digital access and inclusion are so important; publichealthcareers.org might be where you find your next great hire; and ASTHO Alum Dr. Umair Shah, received an award from the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Suicide Prevention Resource Center Web Page: State Suicide Prevention Infrastructure Recommendations
Global Accessibility Awareness Day Web Page
ASTHO Blog: Understanding Digital Accessibility Before the ADA Title II Deadline
ASTHO Brief: Website Accessibility – Enhancing Access to COVID-19 Vaccine Registration and Beyond
JANSON SILVERS:
This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Thursday May 15, 2025. I'm Janson Silvers. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
ALEX KARYDI:
So, our assessment revealed that while most states and territories recognize suicide as a pressing public health issue, their capacity to implement comprehensive prevention strategies varies widely.
SILVERS:
Alex Karydi with the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, details a recent assessment from SPRC that looked at the ability of states and territories to prevent suicide successfully. Karydi says the results were a mixed bag.
KARYDI:
Many lacked dedicated funding, leadership infrastructure or consistent data systems, even when there was a motivated Suicide Prevention Team, fragmented resources and limited cross-agency coordination made it very difficult to scale and implement evidence-based solutions. So, the need for sustained, centralized support was one of the most consistent findings.
SILVERS:
The full assessment included six infrastructure recommendations in the areas of leadership, partnership, examination, and more. It also included calls to action.
KARYDI:
Our top calls to action include designated lead agency with authority and a clear suicide prevention mandate, ensuring dedicated leadership and a core staff, not just grant-dependent roles and integrating suicide prevention into a broader public health system.
SILVERS:
Karydi says several states like Colorado and Tennessee have made good progress.
KARYDI:
Tennessee's Suicide Prevention Network leveraged local and state-level partnerships to embed postvention strategies across their state. These models show that the leadership, investment, and collaboration, public health agencies can build resilient, scalable systems that work to prevent suicide and support mental health.
SILVERS:
May marks Mental Health Awareness Month and is the perfect time to read SPRC's full assessment. We have a link in the show notes, and in June, ASTHO will launch a legal map that outlines suicide prevention infrastructure policies across jurisdictions. Look for that next month.
Today, May 15, is Global Accessibility Awareness Day. ASTHO's. Emily Lapayowker says digital access and inclusion are paramount in this day and age.
EMILY LAPAYOWKER:
There are roughly 50 million Americans, which is about 27% of the population, that have some type of disability. So, when you ignore accessibility best practices, you're really shutting out a huge chunk of your audience.
SILVERS:
Lapayowker says, even in 2025, the lack of inclusion is astounding.
LAPAYOWKER:
So, there's this org, Web AIM, or Web Accessibility in Mind, that puts out an annual accessibility report on the top 1 million home pages on the internet, and it's called Web AIM million. And it found that 98% of the top million pages on the internet have at least one accessibility failure. So, that's a huge impact on a massive population.
SILVERS:
This topic is something ASTHO has been hard at work on for years.
LAPAYOWKER:
In terms of resources, we have some internally that we've built out, you know, for staff to be able to reference or, you know, check in in their own time. We also have this great disability and inclusion team, and they've produced a lot of front-facing or public-facing resources.
SILVERS:
Learn more about Global Accessibility Awareness Day and see what resources ASTHO has by clicking the links in the show notes.
Also this morning, if you're looking for your next great hire, make sure you always check out publichealthcareers.org. The website could be your pathway to bolster your team. That link is in the show notes.
Finally, congratulations to ASTHO alum, Dr. Umair Shah, who most recently served as the secretary of the Washington State Department of Health. Shah received the Chancellor Robert D. Sparks Award in Public Health and Preventive Medicine from the University of Nebraska Medical Center this past week. The award recognizes outstanding innovation and impact on preventing disease and promoting health through public health.
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.
Alex Karydi PhD
Director, States and Territories Initiatives Team, Suicide Prevention Resource Center