Emergency Preparedness Episodes

Oct. 13, 2023

523: Making Decisions During a Crisis, PH Help Wanted

ASTHO CEO Dr. Mike Fraser and Dr. Ray Barishansky, Former Deputy Secretary for Health Preparedness and Community Protection at the Pennsylvania Department of Health, explain new research on barriers to decision making in public health response; Dr....
Sept. 28, 2023

513: Menthol Ban Lessons, Retail Food Safety Networks

Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO’s Chief Medical Officer, shares the challenges facing plans to ban tobacco flavorings; Dr. David McSwane, Executive Director of the Conference for Food Protection, explains the collaborative work of CFP and NACCHO to...
Sept. 26, 2023

511: Maternal Equity Study, Shutdown Budget Impacts

Dr. Jennifer Tang, a Professor of OB-GYN at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, calls for better solutions to maternal health inequities; a new ASTHO blog article examines the impact of rural hospital closures on pregnant people and...
Sept. 19, 2023

506: Maintaining Pandemic Partnerships, Septic System Data

Andrew Pickett, Director of the Bureau of Emergency Preparedness and Response at the Pennsylvania Department of Health, says collaboration among preparedness professionals is essential for public health; ASTHO has issued a statement supporting the...
Sept. 7, 2023

498: Extreme Heat Ideas, Updated Healthy Aging Policy

Dr. Aaron Bernstein, Director of the National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR) at the CDC, explains the CDC’s work to address extreme heat; Dr. Ihsan Azzam, Chief Medical Officer...
Sept. 1, 2023

495: Power Outage Toolkit, Alpha-Gal Syndrome Explained

Eric Cote, founder of Power Outage Partners, explains how the ASTHO Power Outage tool kit can help prevent life-threatening situations; Elizabeth Schiffman, supervisor of the Vector-Borne Disease Unit at the Minnesota Department of Health, says it’s...
Aug. 22, 2023

487: AI in Public Health, Hurricane Environmental Health Surveillance

Dr. Kris Mork, Director of Public Health Informatics at Guidehouse, says the development of AI needs to be inclusive; Heidi Bojes, Director of the Environmental Epidemiology and Disease Registry at the Texas Department of State Health Services,...
Aug. 21, 2023

486: Over-the-Counter Naloxone, Hurricane Partnerships

Richa Ranade, ASTHO’s Senior Director of Overdose Prevention, says ASTHO’s policy statement on over-the-counter naloxone supports increasing access; Chris Medina, State Medical Operations Center Director at the Texas Department of State Health...
Aug. 18, 2023

485: Planning Post-Pandemic, Arizona’s Heat Map

Warren Villagomez, Director of Public Health Hospital for the Emergency Preparedness Program at the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation, shares the public health planning lessons learned form COVID-19; Hsini Lin, Office Chief for Environmental...
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 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 18, 2023

462: New Power Emergency Toolkit, Fresh Guidelines for Older Adults

Eric Cote, Founder of Power Outage Partners and ASTHO Consultant, explains a new tool kit that addresses the risk of power outages for those using life support devices; Dr. Katrina Piercy, Director of the Division of Prevention Science in the Office...
July 14, 2023

460: Big City Gun Violence Data, Drug Shortage Letter to Congress

Chrissie Juliano, the Executive Director of the Big Cities Health Coalition, says that policy changes are needed to address rising rates of gun violence; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s Senior Director of Government Affairs, explains recommendations from...
July 13, 2023

459: LGBTQ+ Youth Health Disparities, Syphilis Cases Jump in Minnesota

Robin Matthies, ASTHO’s Director of Social and Behavioral Health, discusses the disparities facing LGBTQ+ youth, which is the topic in an upcoming ASTHO webinar; Christine Jones, Assistant Manager of the STD and HIV Section at the Minnesota...
June 16, 2023

443: 2023 DELPH Cohort, House Hearing on Preparedness

Avia Mason, ASTHO Vice President of Leadership and Organizational Performance, explains the significance of the 2023 DELPH cohort; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO Senior Director of Government Affairs, says public health emergency preparedness, data...
June 14, 2023

441: Learning to Advocate, Responsible Data Use

Dr. Susan Polan, Associate Executive Director for Public Affairs and Advocacy with the American Public Health Association, says the Policy Action Institute meeting will help public health officials address challenges; Dr. Brannon Traxler, Director of...
May 31, 2023

431: Harmful Nicotine Formulas, Wildfire Smoke Bloggers

Neil Charvat, Director of the North Dakota Health And Human Services Tobacco Prevention and Control Program, explains the challenges of reducing the use of nicotine and tobacco products with so many options on the market; Kaitlyn Kelly, Air Quality...
April 26, 2023

407: Disaster Response Getting Better, Leadership Diversity

Maggie Nilz, ASTHO’s Senior Analyst of Preparedness and Disability Integration, says preparedness is important to public health; the annual Preparedness Summit is ongoing in Atlanta; Dr. Kandi Fredere, Upstate Regional Health Director for the South...
April 19, 2023

402: Equity Change Agents, Equity Success In Michigan

Dr. Somava Saha, Founder and CEO of WE in the World, shares a framework to help public health officials create health equity; Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, Chief Medical Executive for the State of Michigan, explains how Michigan has reduced health...
March 17, 2023

379: Changes to Emergency Powers, Hill Gives ASTHO Recess Homework

Gregory Sunshine, Public Health Analyst with the Centers for Disease Control, explains how state and territorial emergency powers have shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic; and Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and...
March 1, 2023

367: Leading on Long COVID, PH Authority Legislative Tracker

Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO Chief Medical Officer, outlines the role of public health in addressing the challenges of long COVID; Katie Moran McCabe, Lead Law and Policy Analyst with the Center for Public Health Law Research at Temple University, says...
Feb. 24, 2023

364: Illinois’ COVID-19 Experience, Khaldun’s Equity Plan for CVS

Dr. Sameer Vorha, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, is taking note of the disparities laid bare by COVID-19 in a new guest column written for the Chicago Sun-Times; Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Vice President and Chief Health Equity...
Feb. 23, 2023

363: Live to the Beat Campaign, Pandemic Take-Away

Kinetra Joseph, Campaign Director for the CDC Foundation, says the Foundation’s Live to the Beat initiative has had a successful first year; Dr. Christopher King, Dean of the Georgetown University School of Health, spent much of his career studying...
Jan. 31, 2023

347: Educating Capitol Hill, Buffalo Preparedness

Devon Page, ASTHO Government Affairs Analyst, says ASTHO wants to work with both parties in Congress to find common ground for the good of public health; Arnold Bogis, ASTHO Senior Analyst and Research Associate, tells us why Buffalo, New York needs...