COVID-19 Episodes

Nov. 12, 2021

66: New Health Misinformation Toolkit

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy unveils a new health misinformation toolkit; Dr. Anne Zink, ASTHO President-Elect, gives parents five reasons to vaccinate their kids against COVID-19; Sami Jo Freeman, Deputy Communications Director for the...
Nov. 10, 2021

65: Caring for Veterans

Sen. Kalani Kaneko of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, himself a former health official, shares how military veterans from the freely associated states aligned with the U.S. cannot access their health benefits if they decide to live on the...
Nov. 9, 2021

64: Vaccine Incentives Explained

Kimberly Hood, Assistant Secretary for the Office of Public Health at the Louisiana Department of Health, explains why the state expanded its COVID-19 vaccine incentive program to include payments for kids who get the new pediatric vaccine; Sami Jo...
Nov. 5, 2021

62: Vaccine Hesitant Parents

A panel of ASTHO members met with journalists for a virtual news conference Thursday to discuss the new pediatric COVID-19 vaccine and the challenges involved with convincing hesitant parents to vaccinate their kids against the virus. Dr. Nirav Shah,...
Nov. 4, 2021

61: Pediatric Vaccine Challenges

Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO’s Chief Medical Officer, reacts to the decision to recommend approval of a pediatric COVID-19 vaccine; Dr. Nicole Alexander Scott, Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, says Health Equity Zones have helped many...
Nov. 3, 2021

60: Vaccinating Pregnant People

Dr. Kristina Box, Indiana’s State Health Commissioner, discusses the complex task of vaccinating hesitant pregnant people against COVID-19; ASTHO releases advice from community groups gathered to explore possible responses to vaccine misinformation...
Nov. 2, 2021

59: Today’s Vaccine Vote

Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, Director of the Washington D.C. Department of Health, addresses the importance of answering parents’ questions about COVID-19 vaccines for children; Dr. Lee Norman, Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment,...
Nov. 1, 2021

58: School Mask Lawsuits

Maggie Davis, ASTHO’s Director of State Health Policy, examines the flurry of lawsuits and court orders resulting from legislative and executive prohibitions of school masking policies; Lindsey Myers, ASTHO’s Vice President of Social and...
Oct. 29, 2021

57: COVID Tricks on Halloween

Dr. Brian Castrucci, President and CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation, explains how public health departments can use upcoming data from the PH Wins workforce study fielded by his organization and ASTHO; Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, Director of the Ohio...
Oct. 27, 2021

55: Pediatric COVID Vaccine Sites

James Blumenstock, ASTHO’s Senior Vice President for Pandemic Response and Recovery, shares how states and territories are preparing for the possibility of a pediatric COVID-19 vaccine; Kathy Dolan, Director of Environmental Health at ASTHO, tells...
Oct. 26, 2021

54: PH Workforce Crisis

Dr. Brian Castrucci, President and CEO of the non-profit de Beaumont Foundation, considers the public health workforce crisis; Dr. Kristina Box, Indiana’s State Health Commissioner, says public health departments can help reduce stigma for pregnant...
Oct. 22, 2021

52: New York Times PH Survey – Pt 2

New York Times journalist Danielle Ivory details the feedback she and her team received from public health professionals responding to the newspaper’s survey about their work during the pandemic; ASTHO Board Member and former Minnesota health...
Oct. 21, 2021

51: New York Times PH Survey

Danielle Ivory, a journalist for the New York Times, explains the results of the newspaper’s survey of hundreds of local public health departments; Senate budgeteers release FY 22 Appropriations bills, including a historic increase in funding for...
Oct. 20, 2021

50: Social Media Health Concerns

Stephanie Smiley, former state health officer for Wisconsin, examines the impact of social media on young people; Community COVID Coalition members release new social media animations to educate people ages 18 to 24 about vaccine safety; ASTHO CEO...
Oct. 19, 2021

49: Preparing for Flu Season

Dr. Denise Johnson, Acting Physician General at the Pennsylvania Department of Health, discusses the upcoming flu season; Avia Mason, ASTHO Vice President of Learning Strategy, outlines ASTHO’s annual fall board meeting agenda and a new "Insight and...