Christy Roby, local public health performance section supervisor with Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, explains how her agency developed a new technical assistance infrastructure referral system; Chelsea Cipriano, managing director of the Common Health Coalition...
Christy Roby, local public health performance section supervisor with Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, explains how her agency developed a new technical assistance infrastructure referral system; Chelsea Cipriano, managing director of the Common Health Coalition, celebrates National Community Health Worker Awareness Week by sharing how her organization is working to build partnerships between public health and healthcare programs; ASTHO has a web page dedicated to CHWs; and ASTHO's evidence-based technical packages can provide health agencies with accessible strategies to enhance community health interventions.
ASTHO Blog: Iowa Promotes Public Health Infrastructure by Supporting Local Health Departments
ASTHO Resource: Tools That Support Community Health Worker Programs in Island Jurisdictions
ASTHO Web Page: Community Health Workers
ASTHO Web Page: Evidence-Based Public Health
JANSON SILVERS:
This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Thursday, August 28, 2025. I'm Janson Silvers. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
CHRISTY ROBY:
Public health infrastructure improvements: they don't have to be extremely complicated.
SILVERS:
When local public health agencies in Iowa need additional support, they can reach out to Iowa's Local Public Health Performance Section. This team works to connect local public health agencies with the tools, expertise, and partners that they need. However, Christy Roby, Local Public Health Performance Section supervisor, explains that as the requests continue to grow, her team developed a new technical assistance infrastructure referral system to improve the management of those requests.
ROBY:
There's a lot of programs out there that you can invest in to manage something like this, but our team had the sustainability lens on and chose to use Microsoft 365 tools because it's already within our wheelhouse.
SILVERS:
Roby says her team used process improvement tools to clarify roles and responsibilities, and leaned into peer learning through ASTHO's PHIG network.
ROBY:
That really helped shape a practical, kind of, tailored solution. Got to network with other public health colleagues across the U.S. and learn successes and/or challenges, or lessons learned that truly help shape our model.
SILVERS:
The new system has allowed Roby's team to become more aligned with the department's partners.
ROBY:
I think it has reduced duplication, allowing for better coordination, communication, also reinforcing that culture of transparency, accountability for our team, and honing in on operational excellence.
SILVERS:
For more information, check out the ASTHO blog article Roby recently authored on this subject. We have a link in the show notes.
This week is National Community Health Worker Awareness Week, which celebrates CHWs and their significant contributions to communities and public health. Chelsea Cipriano, managing director of the Common Health Coalition, shares more about the vital role CHWs play in the health system.
CHELSEA CIPRIANO:
We know that CHWs are the linchpin of collaboration between health care and public health. We know that we saw programs embracing CHWs expand during the pandemic, but we also know that much of that progress is at risk because of funding issues at the state and local level.
SILVERS:
Cipriano says the Common Health Coalition works to break down silos in the health system by bringing together health system partners.
CIPRIANO:
Our job is to embed the expert-driven models that they're using on the ground into cross-sector partnerships and equip organizations across the health system with a roadmap to build and sustain them.
SILVERS:
One example: Maine General Health recently won the coalition's Catalyst Award, which awards $40,000 to 11 local projects that are identified as innovators for building strong partnerships between public health and health care programs.
CIPRIANO:
They're using this funding to analyze data, improve workflows, and build replicable referral practices, which is really what the coalition is all about. How can we harness and spotlight what organizations are doing on the ground and help others replicate those best practices.
SILVERS:
As we mentioned at the top of this story, this week is Community Health Worker Awareness Week, and ASTHO is making sure all public health leaders are aware of the important work that CHWs do. ASTHO actually has an entire web page dedicated to CHWs, offering resources for certification, information on how state and territorial health agencies can support CHWs, and more. Make sure you learn about both the Common Health Coalition and the resources ASTHO can offer by clicking the links in the show notes.
Finally, this morning, is your jurisdiction looking for strategies to inform community health programming? Check out ASTHO's evidence-based technical packages, which unite interventions for greater impact on public health challenges and provide health agencies with accessible strategies to enhance community health interventions. You can explore them now by clicking 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 Janson Silvers. You're listening to the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition. Have a great day.
Christy Roby MPA BSW
Local Public Health Performance Section Supervisor, Iowa Department of Health and Human Services