Kristin Raab, director of the Minnesota Climate and Health Program at the Minnesota Department of Health, shares how the state’s “Stay Cool Minnesota” campaign is working to protect Minnesotans against the negative health effects of extreme heat; ASTHO alum, Dr. Matthew Christiansen, chief medical officer and vice president of health affairs at Valley Health Systems...
Kristin Raab, director of the Minnesota Climate and Health Program at the Minnesota Department of Health, shares how the state’s “Stay Cool Minnesota” campaign is working to protect Minnesotans against the negative health effects of extreme heat; ASTHO alum, Dr. Matthew Christiansen, chief medical officer and vice president of health affairs at Valley Health Systems, discusses ASTHO’s recent Executive Leadership Forum and the value of public health; ASTHO’s new data dashboard help states use data to guide health improvement; and an ASTHO training on legal maps will take place on July 30.
ASTHO Brief: How States Can Leverage Data to Guide Health Improvement
ASTHO Webinar: State and Territorial Infrastructure for Suicide Prevention: Exploring New Legal Maps
JANSON SILVERS:
This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Monday, July 14, 2025. I'm Janson Silvers. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
KRISTIN RAAB:
Extreme heat isn't a future problem, it is a present day public health threat. And Minnesota, like other northern states, including Vermont, Maine, North Dakota, and Alaska, are warming faster than southern states due to climate change.
SILVERS:
The Minnesota Department of Health recently launched its "Stay Cool Minnesota" campaign to help the state protect Minnesotans against the negative health effects of extreme heat. Kristin Raab with the Minnesota Department of Health explains why preparation is important for every state.
RAAB:
So, research has shown that only a fraction of the health impacts from heat are actually recorded. Deaths are often misclassified, so many heat-related deaths are attributed to underlying causes like heart attack, or stroke, or respiratory failure, without acknowledging heat as a contributing factor.
SILVERS:
Raab says that an effective heat response requires a coordinated approach.
RAAB:
Much of the response is done at the local level. So, we created a new Minnesota extreme heat toolkit with guidance for local public health professionals, emergency managers, and other on-the-ground decision makers to help make informed decisions and implement a response that works for their community.
SILVERS:
The toolkit, which explains the dangers of heat and identifies vulnerable populations, can be easily accessed online.
RAAB:
We also created an easy-to-remember web address that people can visit to get more information. So, that's mn.gov/heat, so, minnesota.gov/heat. And we also created two distinct web resources, so, a straightforward, public-facing website with shareable tips and key information about heat illness and a separate portal where our professional partners can immediately access tools for informed decision making.
SILVERS:
We have a link to that website in the show notes.
Several ASTHO alum attended ASTHO's recent Executive Leadership Forum to share their wisdom and insights with attendees. One alum was Dr. Matthew Christiansen, the former state health officer for West Virginia and now the CMO and VP of health affairs at Valley Health Systems, which serves West Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio.
MATTHEW CHRISTIANSEN:
We have a lot of affiliated public health programs similar to what we were working on at the state health department in West Virginia. We have an active addiction program, HIV, hepatitis, infectious disease programs. We're building collaborations with some of our local health departments in the region to better serve the population and some of the public health needs in our region.
SILVERS:
From Christensen's perspective, public health has to improve its ability to tell its story.
CHRISTIANSEN:
We really need to see ourselves as public health professionals, as to some extent, sales people. To say, you know, public health is- is valuable, not only from a return on investment and a return on the taxpayer dollar standpoint, but also return on health investment. That for the amount of money that we put into public health and the amount of health we get out, there's really no comparison.
SILVERS:
Public health does incredible work, and Christiansen says public health professionals should be more vocal about their wins.
CHRISTIANSEN:
We're really at a crossroads in public health right now about what our basic contract is with our ultimate funders, which is taxpayers and voters, and we have to make sure that we're reimagining that for that contract and reassessing that contract on a regular basis, because the things that we've been able to do have been incredibly successful.
SILVERS:
A new ASTHO brief can help your state use data to guide health improvement through qualitative analysis. ASTHO created a data dashboard to centralize and manage state-specific data. The resource provides guidance on learning labs, frameworks, outcomes, and more. Check it out today by clicking the link in the show notes.
Finally, an upcoming training later this month will showcase how to use legal maps, highlight legal provisions, and explore laws across the country to strengthen suicide prevention infrastructure. Sign up today for the July 30 training. The link is 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.
Matthew Christiansen MD MPH
Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Health Affairs, Valley Health Systems
ASTHO Alumni
