Health Policy Update Episodes

438
Jan. 24, 2025

829: Overdose Prevention in the Justice System, Fentanyl Crisis Federal Action

JoAnne McClure, senior analyst on ASTHO’s State Health Policy Team, discusses a new ASTHO Health Policy Update that centers on the need for more overdose prevention supports for those in the criminal justice system; Catherine Jones, ASTHO Government...
409
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...
284
May 30, 2024

675: Latest Tobacco Concerns, Overdose Data Brings Mixed Results

John Bowman, executive vice president for U.S. Tobacco Programs at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, sounds the alarm about the tobacco industry’s relentless drive to encourage young people to use their products; Kayley Humm, ASTHO senior analyst...
123
Sept. 27, 2023

512: Court Cases Impacting Public Health, Helping PH Managers

Christina Severin, ASTHO’s Director of Public Health Law, outlines upcoming Supreme Court cases that will impact public health; Susan Donnelly, Workforce Director at the Oklahoma State Department of Health, shares the work her team is doing to...
77
July 24, 2023

466: New Workforce Recommendations, Community Health Worker Policy Discussion

Omar Khalid, ASTHO’s Director of Workforce, explains new strategies for enhancing workforce well-being and retention; Brianna Gorman, ASTHO’s Clinical to Community Connections team member, says community health workers are a key connection between...
69
July 12, 2023

458: Indiana Invests in Local PH,  Youth Mental Health Webinar

Pam Pontones, Deputy Health Commissioner of Local Public Health Services for the Indiana State Department of Health, shares Indiana’s plan to invest in local health departments to address community health needs; Ioana Ungureanu, ASTHO's Senior Analyst for...
59
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...
50
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...
45
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,...
37
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...
26
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...
21
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...
19
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...
269
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,...
264
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...
254
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...
249
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...
245
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...
234
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...
229
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...
224
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...
215
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...