959: Overdose Death Reduction, ASTHO Data Modernization Resources

SUMMER JOHNSON: 

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Thursday, July 31, 2025. I'm Summer Johnson. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

NATASHA BAGDASARIAN: 

What I really want to make sure is that we continue on this trajectory and that given what's happening in the country today, what's happening with public health funding at a federal level, that we don't lose any of this momentum.

JOHNSON: 

The State of Michigan reduced its overdose death rate by 36% which ranks it as one of the top five most successful states in the country at reducing opioid overdose deaths. ASTHO member and chief medical executive for the State of Michigan, Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, shares some of the tactics that have helped Michigan make progress.

BAGDASARIAN: 

We've got an opioid task force that's been very involved in the settlement dollars and how they go out. We've had a strategic plan. We have four pillars that we're looking at across the board. We've been looking at prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery.

JOHNSON: 

Bagdasarian says different metrics are used to measure success for each pillar when it comes to harm reduction, a decrease in the number of overdose deaths means success.

BAGDASARIAN: 

We've put out 1.3 million free naloxone kits over the last few years. We get reports back on just a small percentage of those used, but we know that at least 30,000 of those naloxone kits have been used, and those are directly related to lives saved.

JOHNSON: 

The data shows that two of Michigan's most at-risk populations are older black men and teenage girls, and the state plans to strategically approach both of these populations.

BAGDASARIAN: 

They're receiving news and information in very different ways. If we're targeting resources to this population, it'll be in completely different ways. But again, we need to make sure that we're reaching these populations and so that they have access to information and resources.

JOHNSON: 

To learn more about Michigan's strategic plan, you can read Dr. Bagdasarian's recent op-ed about that state's overdose rates. We have a link in the show notes.

ASTHO has a new resource for public health departments to improve their data modernization efforts. Heidi Westermann is with ASTHO and tells us about the Data Modernization Primer and Tactical Guides.

HEIDI WESTERMANN: 

There are a lot of best practices in the data modernization and informatics space, but it's really dynamic. So, we wanted to help provide state and territorial health agencies with a place to start.

JOHNSON: 

The primer can also help public health departments build the right team for the task.

WESTERMANN: 

As a leader, you create the space for your teams to get together to do the planning, prioritization and implementation work that is central to data modernization. This is about empowering staff, and so the primer has a lot of tips about bringing groups together and making sure the right people are part of the conversation.

JOHNSON: 

Westermann says the guides are useful to help get every team member on the same page.

WESTERMANN: 

We want folks working in health agency leadership and on data modernization projects to have a common language. We wanted you to use these tools to engage with your teams so that you're all working from the same foundation. You can use these resources to level set. We hope that'll help advance data modernization work.

JOHNSON: 

You can use the link in the show notes to check out the toolkit now.

Also, ASTHO would like to extend a hearty congratulations to ASTHO alum, Dr. Jewel Mullen, who recently earned the W. Neal Kocurek Health Advocacy Award from the People's Community Clinic for outstanding leadership and dedication to health equity. Mullen previously served as ASTHO board president and commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health. You can read more about Mullen's work, just head to the link in the show notes.

In other alum news, ASTHO alum, Dr. Ngozi Ezike will be a speaker at the upcoming 2025 TEDxArlington Heights' "Under the Surface" conference. Ezike is president and CEO of Sinai Chicago, and is the former director of the Illinois Department of Public Health. Use the link in the show notes to learn more about that annual conference.

Finally, coming up on August 14, ASTHO will host the third session of its Accelerate series in the Ignite, Accelerate, and Activate workshop. The session will cover accountability, performance, and feedback skills. You can sign up now using 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 Summer Johnson. You're listening to the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition. Have a great day.