Access To Care Episodes

Nov. 2, 2023

537: Presidential Reflections, Medicaid Successes

Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska Chief Medical Officer and ASTHO Immediate Past President, reflects on her time at the head of the organization; Dr. Susan Kansagra (SHO-NC), North Carolina Assistant Public Health Secretary, says her agency...
Oct. 25, 2023

531: RSV Vaccine Pitch, Virus Disparities

Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO Chief Medical Officer, wants public health to focus on medical providers as the primary way to promote the RSV vaccine; an ASTHO blog article explains why public health readiness during the respiratory virus season is key; an...
Oct. 23, 2023

529: New Falls Prevention Guide, Vaccine Uptake Strategies

Priya Shah, ASTHO Senior Analyst for Health Improvement, discusses a new guide to falls prevention that outlines strategies and best practices; Dr. Philip Chan, Infectious Disease Consultant at the Rhode Island Department of Health, credits Rhode...
Oct. 18, 2023

526: Youth Substance Use Interventions, PH Jobs Website Attracts Candidates

Dr. Sarah Stoddard, a member of the Community Preventive Services Task Force with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, says the organization reviewed 60 studies to determine what can help prevent substance use among young people; Dr....
Oct. 16, 2023

524: CDC Director Urges Data Sharing, Wisconsin Prioritizes Youth Mental Health

CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen encourages public health agencies to share their data with each other; Linda Hall, Director of the Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health, says her state is working to align its government agencies on a strategy to...
Oct. 4, 2023

517: New Mental Health Framework, Teaming Up to Address Overdoses

Dr. Nia West-Bey, the director of youth policy at the Center for Law and Social Policy, shares a new framework focused on prevention and wellness promotion among young people; Dr. Cathy Slemp, co-founder and vice chair of the West Virginia Hope in...
Sept. 13, 2023

502: Rural Health Plan, Age-Friendly Public Health Systems

Dr. Ralph Alvarado, Commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Health, explains the work the Tennessee Rural Health Care Task Force sets out to do; Dr. Karon Phillips, Policy Development Manager at Trust for America's Health; shares a funding...
Aug. 31, 2023

494: Mapping Overdose Center Legislation, Overdose Prevention Work Demands Flexibility

JoAnne McClure, ASTHO Senior Analyst for State Policy, explains an ASTHO webpage that tracks legislation to authorize overdose centers in some states; Dr. Laura Chisholm, Section Manager for Injury and Violence Prevention with the Oregon Health...
Aug. 30, 2023

493: Substance Use During Pregnancy, Partnering with the Youth Justice System

Sowmya Kuruganti, Analyst with ASTHO’s Family and Child Health Team, discusses disturbing numbers surrounding overdose-related deaths among pregnant and postpartum people; Shelby McCulley, Director of the Bureau of Youth Services at the Wisconsin...
Aug. 23, 2023

488: PH Workforce Consortium, Maternal Health Disparities

JP Leider, Director of the Center for Public Health Systems at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, explains the importance of the Consortium for Workforce Research and Public Health; Nancy Scotto Rosato, Assistant Commissioner of...
Aug. 14, 2023

481: Syphilis Drug Shortage, Maternal and Child Health Priorities

Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, Professor of Clinical Population and Public Health Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine at USC, describes how drug shortages are making it tough to treat syphilis; Jazmyn Covington, ASTHO Director of Maternal and Infant...
Aug. 11, 2023

480: RSV Messaging, Emergency Contraception

Hear from the experts who participated in an ASTHO online briefing on the coming RSV season; Sophia Durant, ASTHO’s Analyst of Family and Child Health, says access to emergency contraception is a health equity issue; and an ASTHO virtual session...
Aug. 8, 2023

477: PH-HERO Set to Grow, Dialysis Patient Voices

Omar Khalid, ASTHO’s Director of Workforce Development, explains the expansion of ASTHO’s Public Health – Hope, Equity, Resilience, and Opportunity (PH-HERO) initiative; Erin Laird, ASTHO’s Director of Emerging Infections, says preventing...
Aug. 3, 2023

474: Overdose Strategies, Pregnancy Risk Data

Victoria Pless, ASTHO’s Assistant Director of Social and Behavioral Health, explains recommendations states can use to reduce overdoses; Stephany Strahle, with ASTHO’s Family and Child Health team, says updating public health surveillance systems...
Aug. 1, 2023

472: Vaccine Equity Honors, How to Pay for Birth Control Services

Geetika Nadkarni, ASTHO’s Director of Chronic Infectious Disease, shares the award-winning Partnering for Vaccine Equity project which aims to increase vaccinations among diverse communities; Meredith Sussman, Vaccine Equity Project Manager for...
July 28, 2023

470: Mental Health Rulemaking, Senate Version of PH Spending

Alison Maffey, ASTHO’s Vice President of Social and Behavioral Health, explains the impact of President Biden’s proposed rule to make it easier to access in-network mental health care; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s Senior Director of Government...
July 27, 2023

469: How to Modernize Your Data, Opill Equity

J.T. Lane, ASTHO’s Senior Vice President for Population Health and Innovation, explains recommendations to improve public health data systems; Brittany Lee, ASTHO’s Director of Family and Child Health, says public health education will play a role...
July 26, 2023

468: Pandemic Preps, New Ways to Think About Public Health

Dr. Thomas Dobbs, ASTHO Alum and Dean of the John D. Bower School of Population Health at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, says growth is needed in public health to be prepared for the next pandemic; Raymond Neal, Project Director at...
July 20, 2023

464: Paxlovid Uptake Lags, New Healthy Aging Policy Statement

Marcus Plescia, ASTHO’s Chief Medical Officer, says public health aims to strengthen the use of antiviral COVID-19 protections in nursing homes; Priya Shah, ASTHO’s Senior Analyst of Health Improvement and Healthy Aging, shares an updated policy...
May 17, 2023

422: Loneliness Report, In-Person or Telemedicine Care

Dr. Kerstin Emerson, Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Georgia College of Public Health, examines a new report on loneliness from Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy; Ericka McGowan, ASTHO Senior Director of Emerging Infectious Disease,...
April 13, 2023

398: Reducing STI Stigma, Community Engagement Benefits

For STI Awareness Week, Dr. Thomas Dobbs, former State Health Officer for the Mississippi State Department of Health, discusses STI treatment and prevention; ASTHO President Dr. Anne Zink urges providers to test their patients for syphilis; a new...
March 21, 2023

381: Pandemic Polling, Ending the PH Emergency

Alyssa Boyea, ASTHO Director for Infectious Disease Preparedness, highlights resources to help public health agencies improve their COVID-19 communication and messaging approaches; Dr. Anne Zink, ASTHO President and Chief Medical Officer for the State...
May 23, 2022

184: Advice for PH Officials

Dr. Lisa Piercey, Tennessee’s Health Commissioner, reflects on her time in office as she prepares to leave her position at the end of this week; Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, Director of the District of Columbia Department of Health, says her department...
April 7, 2022

152: Health as a Human Right – Public Health Week

Dr. Denise Johnson, Pennsylvania’s Physician General, tells us why health is a human right, as we continue our examination of the themes for this year’s National Public Health Week; Kay Matthews, founder and executive director of the non-profit...