Substance Use Disorder Episodes

What does it take for states to expand access to substance use disorder treatment and build stronger, more sustainable partnerships between Medicaid and public health?  In Massachusetts, leaders changed policies around provider models to increase access to care for opioid use disorder: Frances McGaffey, manager of the Substance Use Prevention and Treatment Initiative at The Pew Charitable Trusts, explains how pairing providers with dedicated nursing support has helped remove barriers to prescribing buprenorphine, expand the addiction workforce, and dramatically increase access to care. Then, Cory Caldwell, senior policy analyst at the National Association of Medicaid Directors, discusses the new 'Medicaid Leaders Playbook for Building Public Health Partnerships,' developed in collaboration with ASTHO.

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. 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. Yngvild Olsen, director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment at SAMHSA, tells us about the importance of the first-ever Substance Use Disorder Treatment Month; Dr. Beverly Kingston, director of the Center for the Study and Prevention of...

Dr. James Huynh, assistant professor in the Department of Health Management and Policy at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, discusses what the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey says about racism; Sarah Auer, program analyst for the...

Elizabeth Hertel, director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and an ASTHO Member, discusses the allocation of  $300 million to address substance use disorder; Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO chief medical officer, spoke to Route...

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...

Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, examines the third edition of the state’s maternal morbidity and mortality report; Dr. Umair Shah, secretary of health for the Washington State Department of Health, discusses...

Dr. Cathy Slemp, Former State Health Officer for the WV Department of Health and Human Resources and now Co-Chair of the West Virginia Hope in Action Alliance, says the alliance is a group that builds collaborations focused on substance use concerns...

Sowmya Kuruganti, Analyst with ASTHO’s Family and Child Health Team, discusses disturbing numbers surrounding overdose-related deaths among pregnant and postpartum people; Shelby McCulley, Director of the Bureau of Youth Services at the Wisconsin...

Dr. Anne Zink, ASTHO President, releases a statement addressing the response to a spike in respiratory infections; Dr. Jose Romero, Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC, addresses the latest concerns...

Joanne Pearsol, ASTHO’s Director of Workforce Development discusses the debut of ASTHO’s new public health jobs website, ; an ASTHO blog article assesses Tennessee’s progress on Opioid Use Disorder throughout its maternal and child health...

Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s Senior Director of Government Affairs, discusses a White House summit he attended in recognition of National Recovery Month; Mike Fraser, ASTHO’s CEO is heading to the White House for the bipartisan Conference on Hunger,...

Dr. Denise Johnson, Pennsylvania’s Acting Secretary of Health, explains how a statewide law permitting syringe services would give cover and funding to local programs trying to battle the opioid epidemic; Laura Edison, an epidemiologist in the...

Dr. J. Nadine Gracia, President and CEO of the Trust for America’s Health, details a new report that offers disturbing data on the drug, alcohol, and suicide crises facing the nation; Lt. Commander Traci Murray, Assistant Regional Administrator for...

Dr. Cathy Slemp, West Virginia’s former state health officer, reflects on President Biden’s comments about America’s opioid epidemic in his recent State of the Union address; Paul Petersen, Director of Emergency Preparedness at the Tennessee...