Suicide Prevention Episodes

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health and Director of National Health Communications in the Office of the Surgeon General, Stephanie Haridopolos, shares about the U.S. Surgeon General's new evidence-based toolkit on harmful screen use and the "Live Real Life" campaign.

On today's episode, Conlin Bass, health systems suicide prevention manager for the Colorado Office of Suicide Prevention, explains Colorado’s comprehensive, data-driven strategy focused on reaching people before they hit a breaking point.

Suicide remains one of the most urgent and complex public health challenges in the United States, with more than 49,000 lives lost in 2023 alone. In this episode, ASTHO’s director of state health policy, JoAnne Deehr, breaks down how states are responding with more targeted, data-driven strategies.

Amelia Poulin, assistant director of emerging infectious disease at ASTHO, discusses how she was recently recognized as an honoree of de Beaumont Foundation’s 40 under 40 in Public Health awards; Christina Severin, director of public health law at ASTHO, breaks down her recent Health Policy Update,...

Dr. Susan Kansagra, chief medical officer at ASTHO, discusses some of the downstream implications of CDC’s adoption of recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices earlier this week; Dr. Holly Wilcox, founder and director of the Center for Suicide Prevention and professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, shares...

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,...

Dr. Sameer Vohra, ASTHO member and director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, discusses the op-ed he co-authored in the Chicago Tribune on the progress his state has made in treating HIV; Brandon Kufalk, STI unit supervisor for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, explains...

Darcy Pickens, program coordinator for the office of suicide prevention at the California Department of Public Health, explains how the state’s “Never a Bother” youth suicide prevention campaign collaborated with youth to develop a campaign tailored to their needs; Courtney Dezendorf, director for the office of practice and learning at the Texas Department of State Health Services...

Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, epidemiologist and CEO of Your Local Epidemiologist, shares how her public health newsletter helps to educate readers about the policies and science impacting public health today; Tracy Gruber, executive director of the Utah Department of Health and Human Services...

Ali Maffey, vice president of social and behavioral health at ASTHO, explains how ASTHO’s new legal map assists with suicide prevention infrastructure; Noell Stone, practicum and capstone director at the University of New Mexico’s College of Population Health...

Kristin Raab, director of the Minnesota Climate and Health Program at the Minnesota Department of Health, shares how the state’s “Stay Cool Minnesota” campaign is working to protect Minnesotans against the negative health effects of extreme heat; ASTHO alum, Dr. Matthew Christiansen, chief medical officer and vice president of health affairs at Valley Health Systems...

Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO chief medical officer, offers details on the Make America Healthy Again report; Lexa Giragosian, ASTHO senior analyst for maternal and infant health, tells us about an ASTHO brief that zeroes in on adolescent health...

Alex Karydi, states and territories initiatives director at the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, details a recent assessment from SPRC that looked at the ability of states and territories to prevent suicide successfully; Emily Lapayowker, ASTHO’s assistant director of web content, uses Global Accessibility Awareness Day to explain why digital access and inclusion are so important..

Brittany Giles-Cantrell, program director at the de Beaumont Foundation, tells us why de Beaumont’s 40 Under 40 in Public Health program is so valuable; Catherine Jones, ASTHO government affairs senior analyst, tells us her journey to ASTHO in this week’s “Get to Know ASTHO” segment...

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. Robert Kruse, state medical director and the division director of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services and an ASTHO Member, tells us about his state’s response to a confirmed case of Lassa fever; Clarie Miller, lead suicide...

Heidi Hedberg, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Health and an ASTHO Member, describes Alaska's Comprehensive Integrated Mental Health Program Plan; Julia Greenspan, director of Infectious Disease Infrastructure and Policy at ASTHO, explains...

Jill Hunsaker Ryan, executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and an ASTHO member, provides an update on Colorado’s progress dealing with syphilis; Dr. Sonya Borrero, professor of medicine and director of...

Robert Jennings, executive director of the National Public Health Information Coalition, gives an outlook for public health communication; Caitlin Langhorn Griffith, ASTHO director of Injury, Suicide, and Violence Prevention, discusses a blog article...

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...

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...

Alison Cammack, PhD, MPH, lead author and health scientist on the CDC suicide prevention team, provides an overview of the CDC’s new Vital Signs report, with new data on suicide rates and variables; Stacy Scott, PhD, National Institute for...

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...

Dr. Deborah Stone, lead behavioral scientist for Suicide Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, explains the strategies that make up a new national strategy to prevent suicide;  Nikki Meline, Social Marketing and Public Health...