Opioids Episodes

On today's episode, Justa Encarnacion, ASTHO member and commissioner of health for the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Health, shared how island jurisdictions are tackling some of the nation’s toughest health challenges using real-time data, advanced training, and wastewater surveillance.

In this episode: how telehealth has evolved from a pandemic-era necessity into a powerful tool for improving access to health care. ASTHO senior analyst Ashley Cram breaks down the different types of telehealth, from video visits and audio-only consultations to remote patient monitoring, and why each plays an essential role for patients facing challenges like provider shortages, transportation barriers, or limited broadband access. Also, State Epidemiologist Tracy Miller explains how a partnership with North Dakota State University created a student assistantship program that gives MPH students hands-on experience, builds leadership skills among early career staff, and strengthens public health capacity. She shares lessons learned, how the model evolved, and why it could be a blueprint for other states and health departments looking to grow the next generation of public health professionals.

Madison Hluchan, ASTHO assistant director of Medicaid and value-based payment, details how a new ASTHO resource can help your team with the Rural Health Transformation Program; and JoAnne Deehr, ASTHO senior analyst for state health policy, shares prevention and response policies to reduce overdoses involving synthetic opioids.

Dr. Allison Arwady, director at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the CDC, details a recent webinar focused on mental health and overdose prevention; Beth Giambrone, ASTHO senior analyst for state health policy, explains..

Kelly Dougherty, deputy commissioner at the Vermont Department of Health, shares how drug testing has helped reduce the state’s opioid overdose deaths; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s senior director for government affairs, breaks down this week’s View From Washington, D.C. report on public health news from Capitol Hill; Dr. Ralph Alvarado, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health, shares how he works with legislators to improve public health

Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO; Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO president; Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO chief medical officer; Dr. Lindsay Weaver of Indiana; Dr. James McDonald of New York; and Dr. Ralph Alvarado of Tennessee, share more from Tuesday’s deskside briefing on the Impact of Nutrition on Chronic Disease Prevention; Kelly Dougherty, deputy commissioner at the Vermont Department of Health, explains...

Melissa Magstadt, secretary of health for South Dakota and an ASTHO member, explains the state’s first-in-the-nation anonymous naloxone kit distribution program; Colton Anderson, ASTHO senior analyst for public health systems and improvement, tells us about ASTHO’s Quality Advisory Group...

Laura Harrington, professor in the department of entomology at Cornell University and director of the Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases, explains how public health can combat tick-borne diseases; Beth Giambrone, ASTHO senior analyst for state health policy, discusses public health legislation in states around the country...

Dr. Alex Walley, professor of medicine at the Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, addresses the opioid overdose crisis and community engagement, topics at the Rhode Island’s Community Overdose Engagement (CODE) Summit; Sean...

Dr. Kaitlan Baston, former commissioner of health for the New Jersey Department of Health and ASTHO alumni, outlines what New Jersey has been doing to address opioids; Kate Murray, program supervisor for Long COVID and post-COVID conditions at the...

Christy Jones, president and CEO of the Monday Solutions Group, details how leaders can benefit from skill development in preparation for several upcoming ASTHO Ignite Leadership Series webinars; Dr. Allison Arwady, director of the National Center for...

Dr. Allison Arwady, director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the CDC, tells us about historic progress in the field of overdose prevention; Catherine Murphy, ASTHO government affairs analyst, discusses the advocacy effort...

Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health and an ASTHO Member, tells us how Illinois worked to successfully reduce opioid overdoses; and Beth Giambrone, ASTHO senior analyst of state health policy, recaps some of the...

Allison Wheeler, wastewater surveillance unit manager at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and co-director of the Wastewater Center of Excellence in Colorado, tells us about a recently published ASTHO report on ethical considerations in public health wastewater surveillance; Dawn...

Dr. Mark Levine, commissioner of health for the State of Vermont and an ASTHO Member, looks back on his time as commissioner as he gets ready to depart his post; Melissa Touma, ASTHO director of the Public Health Infrastructure Program, tells us how a...

Dr. Susan Kansagra, former ASTHO member and most recently the assistant secretary and state health officer for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, has been named ASTHO’s new chief medical officer; Jennifer Schmidt, PHIG fund manager...

Mia Christopher, research epidemiologist at RTI International, explains how the Opioid Overdose Community Decision Tool could benefit public health; Lexa Giragosian, ASTHO senior analyst for Maternal and Infant Health, tells us why she believes her...

Dr. Heidi B. Miller, chief medical officer of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, explains how her state was able to see the first significant decline in drug overdose deaths in nearly a decade; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO senior director...

Dr. James McDonald, commissioner of the New York State Department of Health, discusses substance misuse and overdose prevention as part of ASTHO’s Legislative Prospectus Series; Dr. Lindsey Kato, director for the Division of Public Health with the...

Ellen Cartmell, Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program manager at the Kentucky Department for Public Health, updates us on her state’s tobacco situation for World No Tobacco Day; an ASTHO blog article outlines how your jurisdiction might leverage...

Dr. Sharon Stancliff, associate medical director for Harm Reduction in Healthcare at the AIDS Institute with the New York State Department of Health, discusses a study the state performed to test the pros and cons of different doses of naloxone; Tanya...

Dr. Debra Bogen, acting secretary of health for the Pennsylvania Department of Health and ASTHO member, discusses Pennsylvania’s work to expand overdose training to many different populations; Beth Giambrone, ASTHO senior analyst for State Health...

Dr. Manisha Juthani, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health, spent her week in Washington, D.C., discussing the importance of the Public Health Infrastructure Grant to her state; Arthur San Agustin, special assistant for health to...

Dr. Kaitlan Baston, ASTHO Member and acting commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health, discusses a new law in New Jersey that decriminalizes many harm reduction supplies; Andra Samoa, a Department of Health consultant and liaison, wants...