Dr. Susan Kansagra, chief medical officer at ASTHO, discusses updates to federal health initiatives that continue to impact public health agencies, including the latest report from the Make America Healthy Again Commission and recent activity regarding vaccines; Tiffany Day, public health specialist with the Henry County Health Department in Ohio, previews...
Dr. Susan Kansagra, chief medical officer at ASTHO, discusses updates to federal health initiatives that continue to impact public health agencies, including the latest report from the Make America Healthy Again Commission and recent activity regarding vaccines; Tiffany Day, public health specialist with the Henry County Health Department in Ohio, previews what she’ll discuss as a speaker during ASTHO’s succession planning webinar session tomorrow, and highlights how succession planning can enhance the existing public health workforce; it’s Telehealth Awareness Week and ASTHO’s resource page has everything your department needs to expand its telehealth initiatives; and applications are now open for the second cohort of the Leadership Exchange for Adolescent Health Promotion Plus Community of Practice, which can help health agencies advance health education.
U.S. Dept of HHS: MAHA Commission Unveils Sweeping Strategy to Make Our Children Healthy Again
U.S. Dept of HHS: CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to Meet September 18-19
ASTHO Blog: Levers for Preventing Chronic Disease That Intersect with Key MAHA Report Themes
ASTHO Webinar: Succession Planning Part 2 of 3: Laying the Groundwork
JANSON SILVERS:
This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Wednesday, September 17, 2025. I'm Janson Silvers. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
SUSAN KANSAGRA:
This new report shares many different ideas that the Commission came up with around addressing some of those issues they outlined in the first report. So, there's over 120 different recommendations made in that report.
SILVERS:
ASTHO Chief Medical Officer Dr. Susan Kansagra recently sat down with the newscast to discuss a few major public health topics currently impacting states and territories. First, Kansagra catches us up on the latest report from the Make America Healthy Again Commission.
KANSAGRA:
They talk about some things that have been well in the scope of what health departments have been doing for a very long time. So, for example, working around healthy food procurement and working with other organizations or entities like hospitals in their state to support healthy food or increasing physical activity in early childcare, or supporting breastfeeding.
SILVERS:
Kansagra also tells us about a flurry of activity regarding vaccines.
KANSAGRA:
We've seen state and territorial health departments take additional actions to make vaccines available, particularly COVID vaccines, which ACIP has not voted on yet. And the reason that's been so important is because pharmacists' ability to vaccinate at a state level depend on ACIP recommendation.
SILVERS:
Several states are moving now to ensure vaccines are readily available.
KANSAGRA:
ACIP has not met yet or provided recommendations, and in the absence of that, that limits in many states a pharmacist's ability to give COVID vaccines. So, states have been working on executive orders, standing orders.
SILVERS:
And more vaccine news is coming soon as ACIP will meet this week to discuss a variety of topics. Kansagra expects COVID to be a main discussion, but there are also several others that will be mentioned.
KANSAGRA:
We've seen other topic areas that they are likely to cover, that has been mentioned in that federal register notice which folks will be paying really close attention to, which includes hepatitis B vaccine, MMR vaccine, and RSV monoclonal antibody as well.
SILVERS:
More information on the first MAHA report is available in a blog article by ASTHO that is online now. We will have that link and more information about the upcoming ACIP meeting in the show notes.
Tomorrow, Thursday, September 18, at 2 pm Eastern Time, ASTHO will host part two of the Succession Planning for Public Health webinar series that will go over the ins and outs of starting the process. Webinar speaker Tiffany Day with the Henry County Health Department in Ohio, joins us ahead of tomorrow's session to share how succession planning can enhance the existing public health workforce.
TIFFANY DAY:
This is going to give you the idea of who has the aspirations, which employees are out there really wanting to continue to learn and grow.
SILVERS:
Day says a good place to start is by re-examining your department's existing position descriptions.
DAY:
If you go back through all of those core competencies and the way that they're, you know, kind of divided out into different levels, really have those as a part of that position description. And along with that, the skills, knowledge, and abilities, those scars that are needed, right?
SILVERS:
The updated descriptions will prove to be useful down the road.
DAY:
You can look at the core competencies in those particular position descriptions to see, okay, what kind of skills are needed for this position that maybe this particular employee has a goal of working towards? What can I do currently to help build those competencies and skills for them right now?
SILVERS:
If you're ready to kick-start succession planning at your agency, don't miss tomorrow's webinar. There's a link to register in the show notes.
Also, this week is Telehealth Awareness Week, and ASTHO has the tools you need to expand your telehealth initiatives. Head to ASTHO's telehealth resources on its website. It's packed with actionable information, including how to build new programs, establish governance structures, and track state-level policies. Your department can be a critical leader in promoting telehealth and expanding equitable access to care. Just click the link in the show notes.
Finally, applications are now open for the second cohort of the Leadership Exchange for Adolescent Health Promotion Plus (LEAHP+) Community of Practice, which can help state and local health agencies advance health education, increase access, and create safer school environments. We've got a link for you to apply in the show notes. The deadline is October 10.
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.
