Rural Health Episodes

On today's episode, Denise Hanisch from the South Dakota Department of Health shares the state's maternal and infant health priorities, and ASTHO's Sanaa Akbarali highlights takeaways from the Region 7 Maternal Health ECHO Summit.

On today's episode, Beth Giambrone discusses ASTHO’s mid-session update, reviewing the current public health trends emerging in state legislatures.

On today's episode, Catherine Jones, senior analyst for government affairs at ASTHO, breaks down HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s FY27 budget hearings. Then, Jeffrey Ekoma, vice president of government affairs at ASTHO, highlights a recent Legislative Alert and developments in congressional appropriations, pending leadership nominations, and more.

On today's episode, Thomas Dobbs from the University of Mississippi discusses syphilis in the U.S., from the use of antibiotics and public health interventions to the rising case rates over the past decade. Later, Joshua O’Neal from the Southeast STD/HIV Prevention Training Center discusses how prevention training centers are helping health departments and local providers respond to the crisis.

On today's episode, Tim Wiedrich from the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services tells us how the state developed a unified public-private partnership that supports hospitals, public health agencies, EMS providers, and long-term care facilities.

In this episode, ASTHO Senior Analyst for Government Affairs, Catherine Murphy, unpacks the ripple effects of ongoing changes at the Department of Health and Human Services and CDC. Later, ASTHO Chief Medical Officer, Susan Kansagra, zooms out to the state level, where leaders are racing to deploy Rural Health Transformation Program funds.

On today's episode, Senior Advisor for Public Health at MaineHealth, former state health official, and ASTHO Alumni Society Representative, Dora Anne Mills, tells us about the rapidly escalating rural maternity crisis, beyond just hospital closures.

On today's episode, ASTHO member and State Health Officer Daniel Edney explains what’s driving the infant mortality crisis and what it will take to improve infant outcomes, including the roles of maternal health, obesity, and preterm births.

On today's episode, Melanie Ramsey from CDC’s Office of Rural Health addresses rural public health challenges. She shares how the Rural Health Academy offers state and local health leaders the opportunity to strengthen capacity and meet jurisdictional needs.

Public health agencies across the country face a growing workforce shortage—but Missouri is tackling the challenge head-on. On today's installment of the PHIG Impact Report, we explore how Missouri internship programs are building a diverse, skilled pipeline of future public health professionals while strengthening partnerships between state and local agencies. Scott Allen, an administrator and health officer of the Webster County Health Unit, shares how hands-on internships are giving students ...

What happens when health coverage becomes unaffordable, and who’s stepping up to lead in moments like this? This episode connects two powerful public health stories.First, we break down the ACA enhanced premium tax credits: what they were, who they helped, and what’s at stake now that they’ve expired. Catherine Jones, senior analyst for government affairs at ASTHO, will explain how these pandemic-era subsidies dramatically expanded access to marketplace coverage, helping middle-income famili...

Major federal investments and national guidance can shape the future of public health, but only if states can turn policy into practice. This episode looks at two sweeping developments and the on-the-ground work required to make them matter. First, Chris Salyers, director of programs and evaluation at the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health explains the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP), a $50 billion, five-year investment aimed at strengthening rural communities. Wit...

Community health workers (CHWs) play a critical role in bridging the gap between health systems and the communities they serve, especially in rural and underserved areas. In this episode, ASTHO Senior Director of Population Health, Alex Kearly, explains who CHWs are, how they build trust and address both health and social needs, and why Medicaid reimbursement can help make these roles sustainable.

In today's PHIG Impact Report, Patricia Tilley, ASTHO member and associate commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, details the critical needs the Public Health Infrastructure Grant has helped address in her state.

On this Public Health Thank You Day, ASTHO’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Susan Kansagra, joins us to share encouraging news from the front lines of public health. Thanks to increased partnerships with birthing hospitals and the rollout of monoclonal antibodies for infants and the maternal RSV vaccine, infant RSV hospitalizations dropped nearly 30–40% last season, one of the most significant improvements in years. Dr. Kansagra also discusses a major decline in overdose deaths, driven by expanded community partnerships, naloxone distribution, peer support specialists, and innovative response programs...

In this episode, health leaders from Iowa, Maine and Mississippi share their strategies for revitalizing rural healthcare. We hear excerpts from an ASTHO media briefing featuring ASTHO members as they address the urgent challenges facing millions of rural Americans, including healthcare provider shortages, transportation inadequacies, and significant health disparities. The discussion highlights collaborative, evidence-based initiatives designed to ensure the long-term sustainability and quality of rural care.

In today's installment of the PHIG Impact Report, Jade Ramsdell, performance improvement director with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), shares how KDHE is using the Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG)...

On today’s ‘Best Of PHRME’ episode, ASTHO revisits an interview with Dan Edney, ASTHO member and state health officer with the Mississippi Department of Health, who explains what the state is doing to meet the public health needs of rural communities across the state. This episode also features a segment with Shirley Orr, executive director of the Association of Public Health Nurses...

Lisa Bari, Vice President of Policy and Partnerships at Innovaccer, shares how public health departments can become better prepared to use AI by addressing their underlying data infrastructure; Angela Davis, Project Coordinator with the Montana Office of Rural Health and Area Health Education Center at Montana State University, explains how they developed a statewide AmeriCorps program grounded in health to address the population health needs of the highly rural state; a new ASTHO State Health P...

Catherine Jones, senior analyst of government affairs at ASTHO, breaks down what states need to know about the application for the Rural Health Transformation Program, and discusses ASTHO’s recent partnership with Cornerstone Government Affairs to host two expert panels on the subject; Dr. Lena Heilmann, director of the Colorado Office of Suicide Prevention with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment,...

JW Randolph, deputy commissioner at the Tennessee Department of Health, shares how his state’s new Office for Healthy Aging has been successful in coordinating statewide efforts to care for Tennessee’s aging communities; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s senior director for government affairs, provides an update on funding for the federal government in this week’s View From Washington, D.C. report...

Dr. Dan Edney, ASTHO member and state health officer of the Mississippi State Department of Health, and Dr. Susan Kansagra, chief medical officer at ASTHO, discuss the Rural Health Transformation Program and the recent ASTHO panels that covered what states can expect and how some agencies are preparing; Tim Rosselet, manager of digital learning and design at ASTHO, shares more about Thursday’s upcoming Ignite, Accelerate, and Activate webinar...

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. Joseph Kanter, CEO of ASTHO, joined us from the Public Health Infrastructure Grant Annual Recipient Convening to discuss the importance of public health leaders coming together to learn from one another; Dr. Sameer Vohra, ASTHO member and director of the Illinois Department of Public Health...