Mental Health Episodes

Chris Teale, a journalist with Route Fifty, discusses a federal rule that requires websites to adopt standards outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act; Courtney Youngbar, ASTHO director of Environmental Health, tells us about the concern over...

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,...

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...

Dr. Sally Rafie, founder of Birth Control Pharmacist, says pharmacies are an accessible and private option for those in need of contraceptive care; Joy Burkhard, executive director of the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health, wants to make sure...

Alex Kearly, ASTHO director of Medicaid and Public Health Partnerships, says doula care is one of the most promising strategies to address maternal health disparities; Kay Matthews, executive director and founder of the Shades of Blue Project, tells...

Dr. Jessica Schleider, associate professor of Medical Social Sciences at Northwestern University, says social media platforms are one of the best ways to reach kids in crisis; Josh Hodges, chief customer officer at the National Council on Aging,...

Dr. Alison Athey, associate behavioral scientist at RAND, worked with her colleagues to take a deeper look at the impact of overdose deaths; Connie Moon Sehat, principal investigator of the Analysis and Response Toolkit for Trust Project, says the...

Dr. Matthew Biel, professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at Georgetown University Medical Center, tells us social media is not necessarily a good part of childhood; Lexa Giragosian, ASTHO senior analyst for Maternal and Infant Health, says...

Dr. Ashwin Vasan, New York City health commissioner, discusses New York City’s decision to declare social media a public health hazard; Anya Nystrom, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment director of Culture, Strategy, Equity, and...

Dr. Molly Dickens, Founder and Director of the Maternal Stress Project, discusses the ways maternal health is impacted by stress linked to childcare; Edolem Ikerdeu, Chief for the Division of Primary and Preventive Health Services at the Palau...

Andy Baker-White, ASTHO Senior Director for State Health Policy, previews the state of the legislative calendar this year; Omar Khalid, ASTHO Director of Workforce Development, says leaders can support their teams by adopting a trauma-responsive...

Dr. Elizabeth Cuervo Tilson, State Health Director and Chief Medical Officer of the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services, tells us about a recent meeting with officials from the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention;...

Dr. Sameer Vohra, ASTHO member and director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, tells us new laws in Illinois will seek to address the deadly effects of fentanyl; Paul Schramm, health scientist for the CDC, details the far-reaching and...

Dr. Edward Simmer, director of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, dives deep into a new state health assessment; Melissa Touma, ASTHO’s director of the Public Health Infrastructure Program, tells us how Colorado used...

Dr. Anne Zink, ASTHO immediate past president and chief medical officer for the Alaska Department of Health, says policies can help address the fact that the number of babies born with syphilis is ten times higher than in 2012; JoAnne McClure, ASTHO...

Cara Biddlecom, interim state health official at the Oregon Health Authority Public Health Division, talks about the launch of the first-ever state-sponsored psilocybin therapy program; Amani Echols, policy and government affairs manager for the...

Dr. Jerome Adams, former United States Surgeon General, says businesses learned from the pandemic that public health is a worthy investment; Destani Bizune, an epidemiologist in the Office of Antibiotic Stewardship at the CDC, discusses the CDC’s...

Dr. Mark Levine, commissioner, Vermont Department of Health, says ASTHO’s new policy statement on suicide prevention offers many recommendations including a call to improve access to health care services for those at highest risk; Dr. Robert...

Elke Shaw-Tulloch, public health administrator, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, says ASTHO’s revised policy statement on climate and health recommends more funding for state and territorial climate programs; Dr. Lyle Petersen,...

Patricia Tilley, director, Division of Public Health Services with the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, discusses ASTHO’s sexual and reproductive health policy statement; Meghan Fadel, associate director, Healthy Brain...

Charity Menefee, lieutenant colonel and public health officer in the Tennessee Air National Guard and the director of the Division of Public Health at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, highlights the connections between her public...

Kaleb Roedel, News Reporter at KUNR Public Radio, reacts to a recent Pew survey that documents extremely high suicide rates among Native Americans and Alaska Natives; and Stephanie Doyle, Deputy Director for the Bureau of Family Health and Nutrition...

Tom St. Louis, Director of the Office of Public Health Workforce Development for the Connecticut Department of Public Health, tells us about the new Culture of Care initiative that aims to help staff recover from the pandemic; Amy Ciarlo, ASTHO Senior...

Dr. Steven Stack, ASTHO’s new President and Commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, previews his goals for the upcoming year; Jacqueline Howard, a CNN Health Reporter, reacts to the idea that questions on licensing forms may...