Rural Health Episodes

May 30, 2025

917: World No Tobacco Day, One Big Beautiful Bill Act

Brian King, executive vice president for U.S. programs at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, explains how state and local programs are the lifeblood of tobacco prevention; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO's senior director for government affairs, updates us...
April 24, 2025

892: PH Social Media Tool, Timely STI Testing

Adrienne Ammerman, founder and CEO of Arclet, explains how her platform will help health communicators; Amelia Poulin, ASTHO assistant director of emerging infectious disease, breaks down a blog article on what states are doing to combat syphilis and...
March 31, 2025

874: Federal Funding Update; Transition Feeding Resources

Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO chief medical officer, offers an update on funding after a flurry of activity; Martha Hagen, consultant nutritionist with the Association of State Public Health Nutritionists, explains the cultural focus of new transition...
March 6, 2025

857: Mathematical Models + PH, States Address Rural Healthcare Issues

Dr. Spencer Fox, assistant professor at the University of Georgia, explains how a new course on mathematical models could help public health professionals; Dr. Lana McKinney, ASTHO senior policy analyst on the State Health Policy team, tells us how...
Feb. 28, 2025

853: Insight Net Improves Analytics in Outbreak Forecasting, Comms Toolkit to Build Trust

Dr. Dylan George, director of the Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics at the CDC, tells us about Insight Net which aims to improve analytics in outbreak forecasting; Mark Miller, vice president of communications at the de Beaumont Foundation,...
Feb. 24, 2025

849: Revamped Onboarding Shows Results, PHIG Year 2 Success

Kyle Mangloña, onboarding experience manager at the Washington State Department of Health, tells us about the department’s revamped onboarding program; Lindsey Myers, ASTHO vice president for Public Health Workforce and Infrastructure, gives us an...
Feb. 21, 2025

848: Historically Large TB Outbreak, Telehealth Call to Action

Jason Cummins, president of the National Tuberculosis Coalition of America, gives an update on a TB outbreak in Kansas; Dr. Charles Chima, Washington Department of Health chief healthcare innovation and strategy officer, tells us about the “clarion...
Feb. 20, 2025

847: Youth Behavioral Health, Khaldun Heads PHAB

Heidi Hedberg, commissioner for the Alaska Department of Health and an ASTHO member, tells us about Alaska's Youth Behavioral Health Roadmap; Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, former ASTHO member and the newest president and CEO of the Public Health Accreditation...
Dec. 12, 2024

809: Strengthening PH Workforce, APHA Annual Meeting

Lindsey Myers, ASTHO vice president for Public Health Workforce and Infrastructure, discusses the need to bolster the public health workforce to better serve everyone; Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association,...
Nov. 21, 2024

796: National Rural Health Day, Public Health Disability Specialists Program Evaluation

Caroline Wroczynski, education manager for the National Organization of State Health Offices of Rural Health, tells us about the impact of National Rural Health Day; Dr. Robyn Cree, epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...
Sept. 19, 2024

753: MN Preventable Deaths Data, New PCO Survey

Tanya Carter, suicide prevention supervisor for the Minnesota Department of Health, discusses the state’s preventable death data which showed some improvements; Chikamso Chukwu, ASTHO analyst with the Population Health Team, tells us about a Primary...
July 26, 2024

715: Preventable Early Deaths, Appropriations Season Continues

Dr. Macarena Garcia, a senior health scientist at the Office of Rural Health at the CDC, summarizes a report focused on preventable premature deaths in rural America; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO senior director for Government Affairs, updates us on the...
July 25, 2024

714: Accessible Healthcare For People With Disabilities, Avian Influenza Update

Dr. Audrey Juhasz, researcher at the Institute for Disability Research, Policy, and Practice, explains a project she is working on that is focused on accessible healthcare for people with disabilities; Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO chief medical officer,...
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...
Jan. 30, 2024

590: Four Overdose Prevention Policies Explained, Winter Storm Lessons

Kayley Humm, ASTHO Senior Analyst, discusses a new ASTHO report that outlines a series of overdose prevention policies for consideration by public health agencies; Sarah Bonk, Mental Health Disaster and Emergency Response Coordinator for Erie County,...
Jan. 22, 2024

584: Violence Prevention Work Gets Attention, First Responders Connect Via Telemedicine Link

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;...
Jan. 4, 2024

573: Disability Definition Coming Soon, Federal Priorities Outlined

Annie Evans, ASTHO director of Preparedness and Disability Integration, tells us ASTHO working to create a definition of disability to be used in the ESSENCE program; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO senior director for Government Affairs, says legislative...
Nov. 16, 2023

546: New Youth Tobacco Data, Celebrate Rural Health

Charla Sutton, senior analyst for Chronic Disease Risk Factors at ASTHO, tracks the latest National Youth Tobacco Survey’s encouraging results; Chris Salyers, director of Programs and Evaluation at the National Organization of State Offices of Rural...
Nov. 13, 2023

543: Rural Health Equity, Covey’s Advice for Building Trust

Dr. Somava Saha, President and CEO of Well-being and Equity in the World, discusses the importance of National Rural Health Day; Stephen Covey, a well-known author, had a message for ASTHO when he joined members at a meeting in Washington D.C. in late...
Sept. 26, 2023

511: Maternal Equity Study, Shutdown Budget Impacts

Dr. Jennifer Tang, a Professor of OB-GYN at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, calls for better solutions to maternal health inequities; a new ASTHO blog article examines the impact of rural hospital closures on pregnant people and...
Sept. 15, 2023

504: Creative Vaccine Events, Congress Faces Two September Deadlines

Dr. Armando De Alba Rosales, Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Student Programs at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, shares creative strategies to boost vaccine uptake among Hispanic communities; a CDC campaign aims to boost...
Sept. 13, 2023

502: Rural Health Plan, Age-Friendly Public Health Systems

Dr. Ralph Alvarado, Commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Health, explains the work the Tennessee Rural Health Care Task Force sets out to do; Dr. Karon Phillips, Policy Development Manager at Trust for America's Health; shares a funding...
Aug. 28, 2023

491: CDC Rural Health, Childhood Mental Health

Diane Hall, Director of the CDC Office of Rural Health, outlines the office's priorities; Claire Rudolph, ASTHO Consultant and Assistant Director of the New York State Department of Health’s Child Health Bureau, discusses how childhood experiences...
Aug. 10, 2023

479: Considering Rural Voices, Misinformation and Disinformation

Bethany Alcauter, Director of Research and Public Health Programs at the National Center for Farmworker Health, is focused on local action when it comes to rural health infrastructure; an ASTHO online briefing discussed the coming RSV season; and...