CDC Episodes

Jan. 31, 2024

591: Infant Mortality Data Offers Mixed Results, Preparedness Lessons

Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO Member and State Health Officer for the Alabama Department of Public Health, says new numbers in Alabama show infant deaths are dropping but the news isn’t all good; an ASTHO blog article outlines practical strategies for...
Jan. 11, 2024

578: New Fentanyl Laws, Report Indicates Climate Impacts on Mental Health

Dr. Sameer Vohra, ASTHO member and director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, tells us new laws in Illinois will seek to address the deadly effects of fentanyl; Paul Schramm, health scientist for the CDC, details the far-reaching and...
Jan. 8, 2024

575: New CMS Program, Public Health Funding Deadlines

Tequila Terry, director of State Innovation and Population Health at the CMS Innovation Center, discusses a new approach to health care costs and population health; Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO senior vice president for Government Affairs and Public...
Jan. 5, 2024

574: Tracking Respiratory Illness, Congressional Deadlines Loom

Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO chief medical officer, is tracking reports of respiratory illness across the U.S.; Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO senior vice president for Government Affairs and Public Relations, discusses a federal funding deadline that is quickly...
Jan. 4, 2024

573: Disability Definition Coming Soon, Federal Priorities Outlined

Annie Evans, ASTHO director of Preparedness and Disability Integration, tells us ASTHO working to create a definition of disability to be used in the ESSENCE program; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO senior director for Government Affairs, says legislative...
Jan. 3, 2024

572: How Data Impacts Birth Defects, Parents and Teachers Can Help Prevent STIs

Dr. Karen Remley, ASTHO alum and director for the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities at the CDC, says early detection of birth defects is a focus in January; Dr. Anne Zink, ASTHO immediate past president and chief medical...
Dec. 12, 2023

562: Harm Reduction Gets Legislative Attention, Tainted Applesauce Investigation Expands

Dr. Steven Stack, ASTHO president and commissioner of public health for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, discusses substance misuse and overdose prevention strategies; Dr. Susan Kansagra, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services assistant...
Dec. 8, 2023

560: Businesses Supporting Public Health, Guide Helps Agencies with Antibiotic Stewardship

Dr. Jerome Adams, former United States Surgeon General, says businesses learned from the pandemic that public health is a worthy investment; Destani Bizune, an epidemiologist in the Office of Antibiotic Stewardship at the CDC, discusses the CDC’s...
Dec. 7, 2023

559: Policy Ideas Address Maternal Morbidity, Investment in the 9-8-8 Hotline

Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, examines the third edition of the state’s maternal morbidity and mortality report; Dr. Umair Shah, secretary of health for the Washington State Department of Health, discusses...
Dec. 4, 2023

556: New Suicide Prevention Policy Statement, Testing Could Curb Newborn Syphilis Cases

Dr. Mark Levine, commissioner, Vermont Department of Health, says ASTHO’s new policy statement on suicide prevention offers many recommendations including a call to improve access to health care services for those at highest risk; Dr. Robert...
Dec. 1, 2023

555: New Climate Policy Calls for Funding, Actions to Prevent Dengue

Elke Shaw-Tulloch, public health administrator, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, says ASTHO’s revised policy statement on climate and health recommends more funding for state and territorial climate programs; Dr. Lyle Petersen,...
Nov. 29, 2023

553: States Lead Equity Initiatives, ASTHO Tunes Medicaid Parity Policy

Jessica Fepelstein, analyst, State and Community Engagement, ASTHO, explains the health equity core concepts work that is happening as part of the STRETCH Initiative; Dr. Esther Muna, chief executive officer and territorial health official for the...
Nov. 27, 2023

551: New Website Examines Public Health Priorities, Advocacy Drives Alzheimer’s Policy

Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer, ASTHO, examines ASTHO’s new webpage with a collection of evidence-based technical packages covering key public health concerns; J.T. Lane, senior vice president, Population Health and Innovation, ASTHO...
Nov. 9, 2023

542: Veterans Face Health Disparities, Island Areas Examine Indirect Cost Rates

Charity Menefee, lieutenant colonel and public health officer in the Tennessee Air National Guard and the director of the Division of Public Health at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, highlights the connections between her public...
Oct. 27, 2023

533: ASTHO President Seeks Common Ground, Congress Moving Again

Dr. Steven Stack, ASTHO’s New President and Commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, wants to find common ground to push public health forward in his new role; Georges Benjamin, Executive Director of the American Public Health...
Oct. 24, 2023

530: Equity Policy Statement, New Maine Official Ponders Pandemic Lessons

Dr. Joan Duwve, State Health Officer for the Kansas Department of Health, talks about the need to put equity at the center of all public health work; Dr. Puthiery Va, Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, explains that...
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. 20, 2023

528: Flexible Climate Funding, New Federal Budget Deadline

State Public Health Officials Dr. Umair Shah, Dr. Joseph Kanter, and Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, discuss the public health impacts of climate change; Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Relations, discusses hot...
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. 17, 2023

525: CDC Director Shares Priorities

CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen joins the newscast to discuss changing mindsets around health data infrastructure and the new RSV vaccine; and sign up for ASTHO’s Public Health Weekly email newsletter
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. 5, 2023

518: Vaccination Conversations, Respiratory Disease Forecast

Dr. Fatimah Dawood, Pediatrician and Medical Officer on the Influenza Prevention and Control Team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, explains how the SHARE method can help providers inform patients about vaccines; Dr. Dylan George,...
Sept. 29, 2023

514: Telehealth Offers Options, Weekend Shutdown Looms

Kyle Zebley, Senior Vice President of the American Telemedicine Association, explains the benefits of telehealth; Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Relations, explains what ASTHO members should know about the...
Sept. 21, 2023

508: Healthy Aging Challenges, Supporting Maternal Mental Health

Dr. Puja Seth, the Healthy Aging Branch Chief at the CDC, shares a new state-focused program that aims to address dementia; Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman, the Deputy Secretary of Public Health at the Maryland Department of Health, explains that policy...