Community Health Workers Episodes

On today's episode, ASTHO's Corinne Gillenwater discusses ASTHO’s updated e-learning course for community health workers (CHWs) on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, including information related to dementia risk reduction, early detection, caregiving, and more.

Brittany Cox, assistant commissioner of the Division of Health Disparities Elimination at the Tennessee Department of Health, shares about how attending an ASTHO Leading Change workshop helped her be a better leader.

On today's episode, ASTHO's Danny Staley discusses how innovation and capacity building can help health departments adapt by strengthening the workforce and using data in new ways.

In recognition of National Community Health Workers Week, ASTHO’s Ashley Cram dives into how states are supporting this essential field through training, supervision, career pathways, and sustainable funding.

On today's PHIG Impact Report, leaders from the Tennessee Department of Health (Sanjana Stamm and Jen Trail) share how they’re using PHIG funding to transform care at both the clinical and community levels, including the use of care coordinators across rural areas, and targeted grant management.

Community health workers (CHWs) play a critical role in bridging the gap between health systems and the communities they serve, especially in rural and underserved areas. In this episode, ASTHO Senior Director of Population Health, Alex Kearly, explains who CHWs are, how they build trust and address both health and social needs, and why Medicaid reimbursement can help make these roles sustainable.

In today's PHIG Impact Report, Patricia Tilley, ASTHO member and associate commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, details the critical needs the Public Health Infrastructure Grant has helped address in her state.

ASTHO's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Susan Kansagra, joins us for a candid conversation about the state of public health today. She reflects on her unexpected path into the field, the urgent need to rebuild public trust, and why communicating the everyday value of public health is more critical than ever. Dr. Kansagra also explores how social media, new messengers, and emerging tools like AI can help reshape engagement, boost impact, and energize a workforce facing growing pressure. A motivating reminder that public health is a marathon, not a sprint, and that meaningful progress takes time, partnership, and persistence.

On today’s Best Of PHRME episode, Maria Courogen, executive director for the Center for Access to Whole Person Care at the Washington State Department of Health, explains how her state worked to enable the continued support of community health workers (CHWs) by developing a sustainable funding model; Dr. Heather Krasna, associate dean of career and professional development at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.

Public health is at a crossroads. In this episode, Lillian Shirley and Itta Johnson from Public Consulting Group discuss how adaptive leadership can help rebuild trust, strengthen community partnerships, and drive meaningful change across systems. Drawing from real-world initiatives, they share practical insights on leading with empathy, collaboration, and purpose in today’s complex public health landscape.

In today's installment of the PHIG Impact Report, Jade Ramsdell, performance improvement director with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), shares how KDHE is using the Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG)...

Mickal Lewis, associate director of the Center of Excellence on Dementia Risk Reduction with the Alzheimer's Association, shares how community health workers play an essential role supporting a continuum of care for community members with dementia, and how public health leaders can help advance progress; Jeffrey Ekoma, senior director of government affairs at ASTHO, provides an update on the current government shutdown and explains how federal health agencies are impacted in this week’s View from Washington, D.C. report,...

Maria Courogen, executive director for the Center for Access to Whole Person Care at the Washington State Department of Health, explains how her state worked to enable the continued support of community health workers (CHWs) by developing a sustainable funding model; Dr. Heather Krasna, associate dean of career and professional development at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health...

In today's installment of the PHIG Impact Report, Dr. Edward Simmer, ASTHO member and the interim director of the South Carolina Department of Public Health, discusses how his department is using the Public Health Infrastructure Grant.

Dr. Lindsay Weaver, ASTHO member and state health commissioner of Indiana, discusses the public health programs that Indiana employed to achieve its lowest infant mortality rate in more than a century; Corinne Gillenwater, chronic disease and health improvement analyst at ASTHO...

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...

Lillian Colasurdo, ASTHO’s director of public health law and data sharing, is featured in today's Get To Know ASTHO segment; Lesley Wolf, director of programming for Envision, discusses how their new CHW Financial Sustainability Toolkit can help public health programs...

Kimberley Shoaf, professor of public health and the director of the Rocky Mountains and High Plains Center for Emergency Public Health, discusses how a data-ready ecosystem for public health response can be beneficial...

Dr. Kaitlan Baston, former commissioner of health for the New Jersey Department of Health and ASTHO alumni, outlines what New Jersey has been doing to address opioids; Kate Murray, program supervisor for Long COVID and post-COVID conditions at the...

Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health and an ASTHO member, explains how his state is taking action for youth behavioral health; Aurora GrantWingate, member and partner engagement manager at the National Association of...

Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO, highlights public health workers as National Public Health Week wraps up this weekend; Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO president and Alabama state health officer, outlines public health priorities to Congress; Jacki Tulafono,...

Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO chief medical officer, offers an update on funding after a flurry of activity; Martha Hagen, consultant nutritionist with the Association of State Public Health Nutritionists, explains the cultural focus of new transition...

Sharon Gilmartin, the new executive director of Safe States Alliance, discusses her new position and her goals for the organization; John Auerbach, senior vice president for public health at ICF and a speaker at the upcoming STRETCH 2.0 national convening,...

Dr. Debra Bogen, secretary of health for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and an ASTHO Member, discusses ASTHO’s Maternal and Childhood Health Legislative Prospectus; Dr. Tina Tan, president of the Infectious Disease Society of America, tells us how...