Environmental Health Episodes

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. 14, 2023

503: Michigan’s Behavioral Health Budget, Better Data to Address Childhood Lead Poisoning

Elizabeth Hertel, Director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, says a new budget for the state expands resident’s access to behavioral health services; Taffany Huang, Nurse Consultant Specialist for the State of California...
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...
Aug. 30, 2023

493: Substance Use During Pregnancy, Partnering with the Youth Justice System

Sowmya Kuruganti, Analyst with ASTHO’s Family and Child Health Team, discusses disturbing numbers surrounding overdose-related deaths among pregnant and postpartum people; Shelby McCulley, Director of the Bureau of Youth Services at the Wisconsin...
Aug. 25, 2023

490: Immunization Policy Statement, Fiscal Year Predictions

Kris Ehresmann, former Director of Infectious Disease at the Minnesota Department of Health, describes ASTHO’s revised policy statement; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s Senior Director of Government Affairs, discusses predictions for Congressional action...
Aug. 24, 2023

489: School Vaccinations, Chemical Weapon Disposal

Dr. Sameer Vohra, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, details the state’s back-to-school vaccination campaign; Terry Tincher, Section Chief for the CDC’s Chemical Demilitarization Program, marks a big milestone for the program;...
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...
Aug. 17, 2023

484: Back-to-School Air Quality, HAI Outbreak Framework

Kerry Wyss, ASTHO’s Director of Environmental Health, explains how ASTHO held focus groups to address school air quality concerns; Dawn Terashita, Associate Director ofthe Acute Communicable Disease Control Program at the Los Angeles County...
Aug. 15, 2023

482: Back-to-School Water Dollars, Youth Mental Health Partnerships

Wendi Wilkes, Senior Advisor at the Environmental Protection Agency Office of Water, explains lead testing program that allows schools and child care agencies to remove the threat of lead; Heather Sebero, ASTHO’s Senior Analyst for Social and...
Aug. 2, 2023

473:  Rethinking Rural Immunization Strategies, Expanding Mental Health Coverage

Melissa Magstadt, Cabinet Secretary for the South Dakota Department of Health, says healthcare must meet patients where they live; Ali Maffey, ASTHO’s Vice President of Social and Behavioral Health, explains approaches to making mental healthcare...
July 19, 2023

463: Tracking West Nile Virus, Funding Doula Care

Dr. Catherine Brown, State Epidemiologist at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, explains how Massachusetts is addressing West Nile Virus found in the state; Jennifer Lee, Director of the Bureau of Tobacco Control at the New York State...
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 17, 2023

461: Tobacco Taxes Work, Dashboard Keeps Swimmers Safe

Dr. Ola Fajobi, Director of the Tobacco Surveillance, Evaluation, and Research Team for the New York State Department of Health, outlines new measures continue to decrease cigarette and e-cigarette use; Victor Poretti, Director of the New Jersey...