996: COVID Vaccine State Legislative Activity, Emergency Prep

SUMMER JOHNSON: 

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Tuesday, September 23, 2025. I'm Summer Johnson. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

ANDY BAKER-WHITE: 

The states have a lot of authority over public health, and what we're seeing is our states really, kind of, flexing that muscle to clarify what their law is, who can give the vaccines.

JOHNSON: 

With the federal government's recent changes to COVID-19 vaccine recommendations, many states are using legislative authority to make sure the vaccines continue to be available. Andy Baker-White is ASTHO's senior director of state health policy.

BAKER-WHITE: 

So far, 20 states have issued executive orders, or standing orders, or taking some sort of agency action related to maybe their pharmacy board to broaden the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine.

JOHNSON: 

While many of these orders were issued in reaction to COVID-19 vaccine recommendation changes, recent legislative actions cover protections for all vaccines.

BAKER-WHITE: 

In the executive order signed by Illinois' governor, the instructions for the state health department to issue standing orders was not just restricted to the COVID-19 vaccine, but really instructs the state health department to look at all routine vaccines for both children and adults, and issues standing orders as needed for those.

JOHNSON: 

Baker-White says many states are looking to change the source of recommendations.

BAKER-WHITE: 

We're seeing bills being introduced that, you know, add AAP and other professional bodies' recommendations to be used alongside of the ACIP recommendations. And we're also seeing bills being introduced that remove ACIP as a source for recommendations and maybe substitute the state health department as the basis for those recommendations.

JOHNSON: 

If your department is looking for support with public health policy research, check out ASTHO's State Health Policy Center. There, you can track legislative changes, connect with peer networks, and even reach out to ASTHO's state health policy team for help. You can access this resource by visiting ASTHO's website, or just head to the show notes. We have a link right to it.

Earlier this year, the Office of Regional Response within the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, or ASPR, teamed up with ASTHO to host a first-of-its kind workshop for ASPR regional teams and state and territorial public health leaders. Here's Captain Artensie Flowers with ASPR to share more.

ARTENSIE FLOWERS: 

So, our primary goal for the workshop was to foster in-person engagement, dialogue, and knowledge sharing between the directors of public health preparedness and our RECs from around the country.

JOHNSON: 

The RECs that Flowers mentioned are regional emergency coordinators, or RECs. They play an important role in preparing the country for and responding to public health emergencies.

FLOWERS: 

To ensure we are in the right place at the right time, ASPR has a team of regional emergency coordinators that are assigned at the regional level across the country, and their job is to build and nurture relationships with state, local, tribal, and territorial partners. So, to ensure an effective response during emergencies.

JOHNSON: 

The workshop gave RECs, directors of public health preparedness, and other stakeholders a chance to all come together and learn how they can coordinate and help each other.

FLOWERS: 

The workshop also allowed DPHPs to learn more about the depth of subject matter expertise that our RECs from around the country could bring to their jurisdictions, and the type of technical assistance that's available from ASPR as a whole.

JOHNSON: 

You can head to the show notes if you'd like to learn more about ASTHO's extensive resources for public health preparedness.

And in membership news, ASTHO welcomes new member, Sherry Adams, recently appointed to be North Dakota's state health officer. Adams is a registered sanitarian and environmental health specialist and has more than 20 years in public health emergency preparedness and response. She has served as the administrator of the Southwestern District Health Unit since 2009, and she'll continue to do so while in her leadership role at the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services. Learn more about Adams by reading her ASTHO member bio. We'll have a link to it in the show notes.

Finally, make sure you don't miss any legislative or policy movements affecting public health, like the ones we talked about today. Just sign up for ASTHO's Legislative Alerts. That way you'll always stay informed on the latest. You can sign up today through a 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.