Public Health Funding Episodes

Oct. 29, 2024

780: Infant Mortality Mixed Bag Of Success, Suicide Trends Highlight Disparities

Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health and an ASTHO Member, details Illinois’ latest report on infant mortality; Allison Corr, manager for the Suicide Risk Reduction Project at The Pew Charitable Trusts, explains trends...
Oct. 28, 2024

779: Public Health State-Level Funding Changes, Telehealth Impact Report

Maggie Davis, ASTHO’s director of State Health Policy, examines recent state-level funding changes for public health; Dr. Pamela Mink, director of Health Services Research at the Minnesota Department of Health, tells us about a report on the impact...
Oct. 24, 2024

777: Harris Embraces ASTHO Presidency, Boom-Bust Public Health Funding

Dr. Scott Harris, state health officer for the Alabama Department of Public Health and now ASTHO president, previews the upcoming year in his new role; Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez, correspondent for KFF Health News, discusses her article about public...
July 18, 2024

709: Guam’s Business Process Improvement Program, Leveraging Medicaid to Support CHWs

Karl Ensign, ASTHO vice president of island support, tells us about ASTHO’s work on the Guam Interagency Business Process Improvement Program to Strengthen Administrative Capacity project; Diana Crumley, former associate director of delivery system...
June 28, 2024

695: LGBTQ+ Inclusivity, Appropriation Season in Full Swing

Dr. Jorge Petit, founder and CEO of Quality Healthcare Solutions, discusses his article in Forbes where he advocates for LGBTQ+ inclusivity; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO senior director for Government Affairs, helps us navigate appropriation season in D.C.;...
June 5, 2024

679: Community Health Workers Need Sustained Funding, Pediatricians Feel Ill-Equipped to Help Teens Struggling with Addiction

Denise Octavia Smith, executive director of the National Association of Community Health Workers, discusses the need for sustained funding for Community Health Workers; and Dr. Scott Hadland, chief of Adolescent Medicine at Mass General for Children,...
May 24, 2024

672: Pacific Islands Embrace PHIG Investments, New Dashboard Calculates Heat Risk

ASTHO staff, members, and alumni, discuss a recent meeting focused on the implementation of the Public Health Infrastructure Grant program for the island areas; Dr. Mark Levine, commissioner of Health for the State of Vermont, says his state’s...
May 22, 2024

670: ASTHO Profile Workforce Takeaways, Viral Hepatitis Goals

Dr. JP Leider, Associate Professor in the Division of Health Policy and Management at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, tells us what the ASTHO Profile reveals about the public health workforce; Dr. Carolyn Wester, Director of the...
May 10, 2024

662: Doula Care Gains Support, Helping Mothers Heal

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...
April 22, 2024

648: One Health Education, Appropriations Book Download

Kathy Jo Robbins, One Health Treatment Program administrator, Delaware Division of Public Health, explains her state's One Health approach and how EpiChats have helped educate audiences; Massimo Pacilli, deputy commissioner, Disease Control Bureau,...
March 18, 2024

623: Readiness Report Ranks States and DC, Hill Day Gets High Marks

Dr. J. Nadine Gracia, president and CEO of Trust for America's Health, discusses the 21st edition of the Ready or Not Report; Catherine Jones, ASTHO Government Affairs senior analyst, tells us ASTHO’s Hill Day program in late February continues to...
March 14, 2024

621: New Assessment of Public Health Authority, Federal Fund Braiding Guide

Dr. Michelle Mello, professor of Law at Stanford Law School and a professor of Health Policy at Stanford University School of Medicine, teamed up with colleagues at Temple University to study the legislative response to legal authority; Danielle...
March 8, 2024

617: Social Media Oversight, Spending Deadline Concerns

Dr. Matthew Biel, professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at Georgetown University Medical Center, worries about the impact of social media on young people; Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO senior vice president for Government Affairs and Public Relations, says...
Feb. 29, 2024

611: Harm Reduction Strategies, A Recruiter Calls Mike Fraser

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...
Feb. 28, 2024

610: Island Members Visit Capitol Hill, Campaign Recruits New Public Health Nurses

Gaafar Uherbelau, Minister of Health for the Palau Ministry of Health and Human Services, tells us his priorities in Washington D.C. for ASTHO’s Spring Meeting; this week, the third cohort of public health professionals in the Diverse Executives...
Feb. 27, 2024

609: Tool Helps Assess Outdated HIV Laws and Policies, Fraser on Time as ASTHO CEO

Iyanrick John, vice president of External Affairs at ChangeLab Solutions, tells us about his organization partnering with the CDC to create a legal and policy assessment tool; Mike Fraser, ASTHO CEO, will be leaving the organization after more than...
Feb. 22, 2024

606: RSV Treatment Availability, Indiana’s Big Funding Win

Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO chief medical officer, discusses the supply and demand challenges impacting new RSV antibody products; Luke Kenley, former Indiana state senator, tells us how he helped lead the committee to develop and promote the public...
Feb. 20, 2024

604: How to Build a Rural Health Workforce, Pacific Island Agencies Make PHIG Plans

Dr. Nizar Wehbi, ASTHO Member and North Dakota state health officer, says North Dakota has a plan to attract healthcare workers; Lindsey Myers, ASTHO vice president for Public Health Workforce and Infrastructure, tells us Pacific Island area public...
Feb. 14, 2024

601: Use Policy to Achieve Health Equity, Stigma Hurts Long COVID Patients

Dr. Brooke Cunningham, ASTHO Member and Health Commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Health, reflects on the importance of using policy to achieve racial equity; Dr. Priti Patel, CDC...
Feb. 6, 2024

595: Teens Get Online Health Hub, Indiana Funding Plan Discussed Today

Nicole Casanova, Youth Engagement and Evaluation Specialist with the Washington State Department of Health, says her agency has created an online Teen Health Hub to answer teens’ questions; Dr. Lindsay Weaver, ASTHO Member and State Health...
Feb. 5, 2024

594: New Opioid Website, Firearm Violence Strategy

Dr. Tomás Aragón, ASTHO Member and Director and State Public Health Officer of the California Department of Public Health discusses a new website to give people the information they need to understand and deal with the opioid crisis; Dr. Elizabeth...
Feb. 2, 2024

593: Authority Streamlines FDA Food Code Changes, Congress Works to Meet Spending Deadlines

Dr. Daniel Edney, ASTHO Member and State Health Officer of the Mississippi State Department of Health, says his state’s legal ability to review and implement FDA food code changes is better for everyone involved; Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO Senior Vice...
Jan. 29, 2024

589: Syphilis Treatment Option, Safe Firearm Storage Laws

Julia Greenspan, ASTHO Director, Infectious Diseases, says the FDA deciding to import a medication that treats syphilis is a step in the right direction; Caitlin Langhorne Griffith, ASTHO Director of Behavioral Health, tells us many states...
Jan. 26, 2024

588: Legislation to Manage A-I, Congress Discusses Workforce Issues

Catherine Jones, ASTHO Senior Analyst for Government Affairs, says there are discussions underway to ensure the AI is managed properly; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO Senior Director for Government Affairs, tells us Congress remains busy as January nears an...