WIC Program Episodes

1072: From Rural Dollars to Dinner Plates: Turning Big Federal Policy Into Real Health Gains
Feb. 19, 2026

1072: From Rural Dollars to Dinner Plates: Turning Big Federal Policy Into Real Health Gains

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-groundwork required to make them matter. First, Chris Salyers, director of programs and evaluation …
1036: What the 2025 Government Shutdown Revealed and What Comes Next
Dec. 3, 2025

1036: What the 2025 Government Shutdown Revealed and What Comes Next

In this episode, ASTHO’s Catherine Jones, senior analyst for government affairs, breaks down the 2025 federal government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, and what made it uniquely disruptive compared to the 2018–2019 closure.
994: Healthy Aging Tactics, PH Funding on the Hill
Sept. 19, 2025

994: Healthy Aging Tactics, PH Funding on the Hill

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 upd…
935: Federal Funding Cuts, Opioid Overdose Death Decline Strategies
June 26, 2025

935: Federal Funding Cuts, Opioid Overdose Death Decline Strategies

Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO; Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO president; Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO chief medical officer; Dr. Lindsay Weaver of Indiana; Dr. James McDonald of New York; and Dr. Ralph Alvarado of Tennessee, share more from Tuesday’s deskside briefing on the Impact of Nutrition on Chronic Dis…
934: ASTHO Deskside Briefing, Congressional Public Health Priorities
June 25, 2025

934: ASTHO Deskside Briefing, Congressional Public Health Priorities

Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO, Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO president, Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO chief medical officer, Dr. Lindsay Weaver of Indiana, Dr. James McDonald of New York, and Dr. Ralph Alvarado of Tennessee, held a deskside briefing on the Impact of Nutrition on Chronic Disease Prevention; Ca…
643: WIC Packaging Changes; Prep Summit Lessons
April 15, 2024

643: WIC Packaging Changes; Prep Summit Lessons

Christi Mackie, ASTHO vice president of Community Health and Prevention Programs, tells us about the USDA’s first update to WIC packaging in a decade; Jessica Baggett, ASTHO senior advisor for Public Health Response, reflects on lessons learned from...
622: High Food Costs Hurt WIC, Proposed Budget Breakdown
March 15, 2024

622: High Food Costs Hurt WIC, Proposed Budget Breakdown

Dr. Scott Harris, state health officer with the Alabama Department of Public Health and ASTHO Member, recalls his recent visit to Congress a few weeks ago; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO senior director for Government Affairs, says ASTHO continues to talk with...
617: Social Media Oversight, Spending Deadline Concerns
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...
612: Capitol Hill Conversations, Tracking Carbon Monoxide Dangers
March 1, 2024

612: Capitol Hill Conversations, Tracking Carbon Monoxide Dangers

Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO senior director for Government Affairs, tells us how Hill day went this week; Stephanie Moraga-McHaley, program manager for the New Mexico Environmental Public Health Tracking program, says the number of carbon monoxide poisoning...