Health Policy Update Episodes

448: Vital Records Accreditation Matters, Therapeutic Psilocybin Programs Gain Traction
June 26, 2023

448: Vital Records Accreditation Matters, Therapeutic Psilocybin Programs Gain Traction

Mariah Pokorny, Director of Accreditation & Reporting for the South Dakota Department Of Health, explains the importance of vital records and health statistics accreditation; Chantell Reed, Interim Deputy Director Of Operations at the Multnomah County...
439: Congenital Syphilis Strategies, Medicaid Demonstration Projects
June 12, 2023

439: Congenital Syphilis Strategies, Medicaid Demonstration Projects

JoAnne McClure, ASTHO Senior Analyst for State Health Policy, details a new report written to help public health leaders address rising rates of congenital syphilis; Alex Kearly, ASTHO’s Director of Medicaid and Value-Based Payment, breaks down...
434: Mpox Concerns, Newborn Screening Policies
June 5, 2023

434: Mpox Concerns, Newborn Screening Policies

Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, Deputy Coordinator of the Mpox National Response for the White House, shares steps public health leaders can take to protect against a potential rise in Mpox cases; Christina Severin, Director of Public Health Law at ASTHO,...
426: Medicaid for Post-Partum People, Women’s Health Policy Statement
May 23, 2023

426: Medicaid for Post-Partum People, Women’s Health Policy Statement

Sowmya Kuruganti, ASTHO Public Health Analyst, explains how Medicaid expansion could increase access to care for postpartum people; Sanaa Akbarali, ASTHO Senior Director of Maternal and Infant Health, says a renewed ASTHO policy statement addresses...
415: Burnout Advice, Policy Wins
May 8, 2023

415: Burnout Advice, Policy Wins

Jennifer Moss, author of The Burnout Epidemic, says self-care alone is not a solution to employee fatigue; Moss will speak at ASTHO’s TechXpo and Futures Forum later this month, where online tickets remain available; Maggie Davis, ASTHO’s Director...
410: Early Legislative Actions, Implement Data Systems Now
May 1, 2023

410: Early Legislative Actions, Implement Data Systems Now

Maggie Davis, ASTHO Director of State Health Policy, discusses policies that have been considered or approved across the country since January;  Dr. Gabriel Seidman, Director of Policy at the Lawrence J. Ellison Institute for Transformative...
408: Childhood Toxic Stress, Encouraging Exercise
April 27, 2023

408: Childhood Toxic Stress, Encouraging Exercise

Dr. Nathaniel Harnett, Assistant Professor at The Harvard Medical School, discusses findings from his study connecting early childhood stress to mental health problems; Dr. Alison Cuellar, Chair of the Community Preventive Services Task Force and a...
385: ASTHO Budget Pitch, Workforce Policy Approaches
March 27, 2023

385: ASTHO Budget Pitch, Workforce Policy Approaches

Dr. Anne Zink, ASTHO President and Alaska Chief Medical Officer, testifies before a House appropriations subcommittee in Washington D.C. seeking sustainable and flexible public health funding; Maggie Davis, ASTHO’s Director of State Health Policy,...
380: Immunization Exemption Strategies, Island Area Funding Pitch
March 20, 2023

380: Immunization Exemption Strategies, Island Area Funding Pitch

Heather Tomlinson, ASTHO Senior Analyst for Immunizations, reminds us in an ASTHO blog article that there are strategies to reduce the impact of non-medical immunization exemptions; the CDC has added COVID-19 vaccinations to its immunization schedule...
370: ASTHO Leaders Convene, Flavored Tobacco Legislation
March 6, 2023

370: ASTHO Leaders Convene, Flavored Tobacco Legislation

Amber Williams, ASTHO Senior Vice President for Leadership & Organizational Performance, says ASTHO members have a busy schedule of meetings with Biden Administration and Congressional officials in Washington, D.C. this week; Parker Beene, ASTHO...
365: “Unacceptable” Maternal Mortality Rates, Mounting a Vaccination Defense
Feb. 27, 2023

365: “Unacceptable” Maternal Mortality Rates, Mounting a Vaccination Defense

Dr. Daniel Edney, State Health Officer for the Mississippi State Department of Health, has studied the data in Mississippi’s latest Maternal Mortality Report and says the rates are unacceptable; Heather Tomlinson, ASTHO Senior Analyst for...
361: RSV Immunization Considered, Making CPR and AEDs More Common
Feb. 21, 2023

361: RSV Immunization Considered, Making CPR and AEDs More Common

Dr. Christopher Rizzo, Senior U.S. Medical Director for Sanofi, is working on a passive immunization for RSV that could help protect young infants from the virus; Lana McKinney, ASTHO Senior Policy Analyst for State Health Policy, encourages ASTHO...
351: A Reporter’s Drug Strategy, Childcare is Public Health
Feb. 6, 2023

351: A Reporter’s Drug Strategy, Childcare is Public Health

Julie Wernau, Health and Science Reporter at The Wall Street Journal, has spent the last year reporting on the opioid crisis and offers some advice for public health; Shannon Vance, ASTHO Senior Analyst for Family & Child Health, says the difficulty...
346: Federal Budget Partners, Rural Telehealth Strategies
Jan. 30, 2023

346: Federal Budget Partners, Rural Telehealth Strategies

Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Relations, is keeping an eye on the budget wrangling taking place on Capitol Hill; Ashley Cram, with ASTHO, explains how ASTHO members are working to help people in rural...
341: Investing in PH, Protecting Children
Jan. 23, 2023

341: Investing in PH, Protecting Children

Dr. Nancy Messonnier, Dean of the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, says there's still a need for sustained investment in public health three years after the pandemic; Beth Giambrone, ASTHO Senior Analyst for State Health Policy, explains...
332: Public Health Polling, Flu Vaccine Strategies
Jan. 9, 2023

332: Public Health Polling, Flu Vaccine Strategies

Dr. Meredith Li-Vollmer, Risk Communication Manager for the Seattle and King County Public Health Department, says polling data helped agencies better understand community attitudes and opinions during the pandemic; Shalini Nair, ASTHO Senior Analyst...