927: Federal Health Data Survey, New ASTHO Member

SUMMER JOHNSON: 

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Friday, June 13, 2025. I'm Summer Johnson. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

ANNA-MICHELLE MCSORLEY: 

Data-driven, evidence-based policy is made possible because of data accumulated from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, and it would be a huge loss not to have this federally maintained data source continue.

JOHNSON: 

Dr. Anna-Michelle McSorley is a researcher at the University of Connecticut, and she recently used data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System for a study that compared health-related quality of life indicators of three U.S. territories with the 50 states.

MCSORLEY: 

The inclusion of the three U.S. territories in this paper, it was Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands, was possible because they were included within the protocol for the survey in the rounds that I was able to assess, which was 2021 and 2022. It's actually the longest-running national telephone-based survey of health-related behaviors that we have to date. So, it's very powerful. It gives us a great deal of ability to assess and describe health epidemiologically for the nation.

JOHNSON: 

The study found that physical overall health is lower in the territories compared to the states. McSorley says U.S. territories are often excluded from federal data systems, which isn't helping public health.

MCSORLEY: 

There's a great deal of ambiguity surrounding what a territory is, and that just cuts across the board with many of the problems that we see federal entities not realizing that the territories are included within the scope of what defines the greater United States, and defaulting to making stateside assumptions and not including the island areas.

JOHNSON: 

McSorley says the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System is a trusted data source that allows public health to put critical programming in place.

MCSORLEY: 

And then, that will trickle to almost anything and everything you can imagine. It comes into justifications for resource allocation. It's leveraged to be able to submit grant applications for the purposes of bringing additional public health resources to address the given health concern that becomes present and revealed through the analysis of these data.

JOHNSON: 

She also added that territories often face unclear rules about getting federal health funding, and she suggests changes that could make a big difference.

MCSORLEY: 

And so one 'little P' policy that I can point to, because sometimes those are a little more attainable, would be that we address documentation within federal grant applications and within federal data methodologies. And so, what I mean by that is exclusively stating that the territories are eligible to apply for those sources of funding, exclusively stating that those resources are meant to be allotted to the territories.

JOHNSON: 

McSorley's study was recently published in JAMA Network Open. You can read it yourself by heading to the show notes.

We continue today with Get to Know ASTHO, where we highlight the work of ASTHO's expert staff. You'll hear from ASTHO staff on what they do, why it's important, and the positive impact on ASTHO's members. Here's ASTHO's Christina Severin, director of public health law, on what a typical day looks like in her role.

CHRISTINA SEVERIN: 

Having trained as an attorney, [I'm] interested in making sure that people are aware of and understand the importance of the role of law and how it can contribute to improved public health outcomes and just public health goals overall.

JOHNSON: 

According to Severin, every day on the state health policy team is a little bit different.

SEVERIN: 

Each day is a little bit different. And that's one of the interesting things about, I think, the state health policy team is that we work on a number of different projects across the organization and across different subject matter areas or areas of interest in public health. So, some days, I might be responding to a request for technical assistance from a member jurisdiction. Other days, I might be reviewing legislation that is relevant to certain areas of public health concern, especially right now. This time is a busy time for legislatures.

JOHNSON: 

Beyond the state health policy team's work related to data modernization policy and mid-session updates, Severin shares some of the unique projects she's currently tackling.

SEVERIN: 

I think a lot of the work that I'm doing right now is focused on supporting and building out ASTHO's Legal Mapping Center. So, there should be some interesting updates coming to that this summer.

JOHNSON: 

As the project year continues, Severin highlights some of the team's recent successes.

SEVERIN: 

Our team has done a lot to support some of the Public Health Infrastructure Grant work, and would encourage people to check out some of those resources in terms of some case studies, some information, education, support for people interested in administrative rule-making, and also some general, again, Legal Mapping Center maps, or strategies that can support legislation, that can support public health workforce, and some other related issues.

JOHNSON: 

You can learn more about the PHIG grant at phinfrastructure.org. We'll have a link in the show notes. And while you're there, learn more about the work of the state health policy team. We'll hear more from them in the next few weeks.

Also, this morning, ASTHO welcomes new member, Dr. John Langefeld, medical director for the Kentucky Department for Public Health. Langefeld has led major transformation efforts at both the state and national levels, including creating Insights for Health, which is an initiative focused on system integration, health data, infrastructure, and policy modernization. He has an impressive resume. Make sure to read his bio. There's a link in the show notes.

And a hearty congratulations to the Vermont Department of Health Laboratory, which received the Excellence in Public Health Response award. It's given for a significant contribution to the CDC Laboratory Response Network for Chemical Threats by responding to public health threats, unique cases, or showing a surge capacity response. Read more about their award in the show notes.

Finally, today, registration is open for the second installment in ASTHO's Essentials of Leadership and Management series. The first workshop takes place on July 9, and this one is focused on strategic communication skills and how to address sensitive topics; skill sets every public leader needs. Head to the show notes for information and to sign up.

That'll do it for today. We're back Monday 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 weekend.