Environmental Health Episodes

Jan. 16, 2025

824: AHEAD Model, NEMA Hurricane Response Webinar

Dr. Laura Herrera Scott, secretary of health for the Maryland Department of Health and an ASTHO Member, tells us how Maryland was the first state to sign on to the AHEAD Model released by CMS; Jessica Byrski, senior policy analyst for the National...
Jan. 13, 2025

821: Winter Weather Safety Campaign, Senior Deputy & CFO Meeting Invaluable

Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman, deputy secretary for Public Health at the Maryland Department of Health and an ASTHO Member, discusses Maryland’s Winter Weather Safety campaign; and Dr. Tobi Adeyeye Amosun, deputy commissioner for Population Health for the...
Jan. 6, 2025

816: New Office of Healthy Aging, Vape Devices with Video Games

Dr. Ralph Alvarado, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health and an ASTHO member, tells us why his team decided to create an Office of Healthy Aging; Dr. Jennifer Unger, a professor of Population and Public Health Sciences at the University...
Dec. 17, 2024

812: SAPHE 2.0 Promotes Equity, ASTHO President Weighs In On Bird Flu

Dr. Robert Goldstein, commissioner at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and an ASTHO Member, describes how SAPHE 2.0 will promote health equity throughout the state; Dr. Scott Harris, Alabama state health officer and ASTHO president, is...
Nov. 27, 2024

800: Hemp’s Hazy Status, Climate Change Impacts Health Equity

Christina Severin, ASTHO’s director of Public Health Law, dives into the ins and outs of the status of hemp; Linda Helland, manager of California’s Climate Change and Health Equity Branch at the California Department of Public Health, tells us...
Nov. 26, 2024

799: Climate Change & Health Equity Partners, ASTHO's Alzheimer's Work

Linda Helland, manager of the Climate Change and Health Equity Branch in the Office of Health Equity at the California Department of Public Health, tells us how the California Department of Public Health is working to incorporate health equity into...
Nov. 8, 2024

788: Honoring Veterans in Public Health, Public Health Planning Learning Community

Dr. Kenneth Fink, director of the Hawaii Department of Health, an ASTHO member and a retired Air Force colonel, tells us how the military prepared him for his role in public health; Sara Bell, ASTHO senior analyst for Public Health Systems and...
Nov. 1, 2024

CMO Plescia Steps Away; Harris Sees Large Role for Public Health

Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO chief medical officer, is stepping away from ASTHO after seven years in the position; Dr. Scott Harris, state health officer for the Alabama Department of Public Health and ASTHO president, says the next few years are...
Oct. 23, 2024

776: Stack Reflects on ASTHO Presidency, Improving Recruitment and Retention in Public Health

Dr. Steven Stack, commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health and current ASTHO President, tells us about ASTHO’s upcoming leadership transition; Madison Novosel, North Dakota’s Lead Program coordinator discusses the program’s new...
Oct. 11, 2024

769: Oropouche Response Plan, DELPH Applications Open Now

Dr. Roxanne Connelly, entomology and ecology team lead in the Arboviral Diseases Branch of the Division of Vector-Borne Diseases at the CDC, tells us about the CDC’s response plan for Oropouche Virus; Latoya Sahadeo, ASTHO’s Leadership Development...
Oct. 10, 2024

768: EEE Smart Scheduling, ASTHO DPHP Meeting Takeaways

Suzanne Bornschein, Rhode Island State Epidemiologist, outlines Rhode Island’s approach to combating Eastern Equine Encephalitis; Francesca Provenzano, Public Health Section Chief with the State of Connecticut Department of Public Health, tells us...
Sept. 18, 2024

752: EPA Wastewater Gap Initiative, New PH Warehouse Expansion

Zach Lowenstein, program manager with the EPA’s Office of Wastewater Management, discusses the Closing America’s Wastewater Access Gap initiative; Jon Lujan, public health emergency preparedness program manager for the Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services, details the...
Aug. 30, 2024

740: Mpox Advisory, New Communications Planning Guide

Chris Taylor, ASTHO director of Infectious Disease Outbreak Response and Recovery, discusses a new strain of Mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; a CDC advisory warns about an increase in cases of human parvovirus B19 in the U.S.; Kara Kane,...
Aug. 29, 2024

739: New Maternal Health Dashboards, Urine Tests Look for Chemicals in Minnesota Kids

Dr. Jennifer Shuford, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services and an ASTHO Member, discusses her state’s updated data dashboards; Dr. Jessica Nelson, program director and epidemiologist with the Minnesota Department of Health,...
Aug. 6, 2024

722: NM Heat Dashboard, Vaccination Misinformation Continues

Dr. Chelsea Langer, program manager for the Environmental Health Program at the New Mexico Department of Health, explains the capabilities of the department’s HEAT dashboard; Amy Maxmen, public health correspondent at KFF Health News, tells us about...
May 23, 2024

671: Michigan Mental Health Work, Hawaii Wildfires Environmental Impact

Elizabeth Hertel, director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, tells us how her department is working to improve mental health; Kathleen Ho, deputy director for Environmental Health with Hawaii’s State Department of Health,...
May 21, 2024

669: Lawmakers Consider PH Priorities, Public Health Strategies for Older Adults

Lillian Colasurdo, ASTHO director of Public Health Law and Data Sharing, tells us about part one of ASTHO’s 2024 Legislative session update; Dr. Katrina Piercy, director of the Division of Prevention Science in the Office of Disease Prevention and...
May 17, 2024

667: Pause to Heal Campaign, House Minority Leadership Meeting

Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, tells us about his state’s “Pause to Heal” campaign; Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO senior vice president of Government Affairs and Public Relations, discusses a recent meeting she...
April 18, 2024

646: Climate Health Training, Updated PFAS Provider Guidance

Ben Fulgencio-Turner, director of the Climate for Health Program at ecoAmerica, discusses a new ASTHO training program that connects the impacts of climate change to public health; Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO chief medical officer, tells the news site...
March 18, 2024

623: Readiness Report Ranks States and DC, Hill Day Gets High Marks

Dr. J. Nadine Gracia, president and CEO of Trust for America's Health, discusses the 21st edition of the Ready or Not Report; Catherine Jones, ASTHO Government Affairs senior analyst, tells us ASTHO’s Hill Day program in late February continues to...
Feb. 23, 2024

607: Spring Meeting Preview, ASTHO CEO Farewell

Amber Williams, ASTHO senior vice president for Leadership and Organizational Performance, previews ASTHO’s upcoming Spring Meeting; Mike Fraser, ASTHO CEO, prepares to say goodbye as he ends his time at ASTHO next week; and an ASTHO blog article...
Feb. 20, 2024

604: How to Build a Rural Health Workforce, Pacific Island Agencies Make PHIG Plans

Dr. Nizar Wehbi, ASTHO Member and North Dakota state health officer, says North Dakota has a plan to attract healthcare workers; Lindsey Myers, ASTHO vice president for Public Health Workforce and Infrastructure, tells us Pacific Island area public...
Feb. 16, 2024

603: Report Calls for New Health Data Approach, ASTHO Members Plan Hill Visit

Dr. Gabriel Seidman, Director of Policy at the Ellison Institute of Technology, details the need for a stronger nationwide health data ecosystem; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO Senior Director for Government Affairs, tells us how some topics on the Hill that...
Feb. 9, 2024

598: CDC’s Hepatitis C Strategy, Wastewater Testing Debate

Dr. Carolyn Wester, director of the division of viral hepatitis at the CDC, says the CDC has a plan to increase access to the diagnosis and treatment resources for hepatitis C; Tim Henderson, senior writer/demographics analyst for Stateline, explains how wastewater testing...