Community Health Workers Episodes

April 1, 2024

633: Voting Impacts Public Health, States Make Transportation Connections

Jeanne Ayers, ASTHO alum and executive director of Healthy Democracy Healthy People, says research has shown that a civically engaged community is a healthy community; Betty Bekemeier, professor at the University of Washingt…
March 12, 2024

619: Review Food Safety Policies, New Misinformation Toolkit

Dr. Susan Kansagra, assistant secretary for public health in North Carolina's Department of Health and Human Services and an ASTHO member, tells us how the tenacity of one inspector caused an investigation that uncovered lea…
Dec. 20, 2023

568: Equity Policies Improve Health for All, Apprenticeship Program Builds the Workforce

Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman, deputy secretary of Public Health for the Maryland Department of Health, says his state has been able to engage bold policies to help people and address health inequities; Dr. Mondi Mason, workforce …
Nov. 29, 2023

553: States Lead Equity Initiatives, ASTHO Tunes Medicaid Parity Policy

Jessica Fepelstein, analyst, State and Community Engagement, ASTHO, explains the health equity core concepts work that is happening as part of the STRETCH Initiative; Dr. Esther Muna, chief executive officer and territorial …
Nov. 27, 2023

551: New Website Examines Public Health Priorities, Advocacy Drives Alzheimer’s Policy

Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer, ASTHO, examines ASTHO’s new webpage with a collection of evidence-based technical packages covering key public health concerns; J.T. Lane, senior vice president, Population Health a…
Nov. 8, 2023

541: Syphilis Needs a Campaign, Expand Your Community Health Worker Force

Dr. Anne Zink, ASTHO past president and Alaska chief medical officer, raises the alarm on the need for new attention to the rising number of syphilis cases in the U.S.; Stephanie Doyle, deputy director for the Bureau of Fami…
Nov. 6, 2023

539: Mental Health in Tribal Communities, Working With Medicaid Partners

Kaleb Roedel, News Reporter at KUNR Public Radio, reacts to a recent Pew survey that documents extremely high suicide rates among Native Americans and Alaska Natives; and Stephanie Doyle, Deputy Director for the Bureau of Fa…
Oct. 24, 2023

530: Equity Policy Statement, New Maine Official Ponders Pandemic Lessons

Dr. Joan Duwve, State Health Officer for the Kansas Department of Health, talks about the need to put equity at the center of all public health work; Dr. Puthiery Va, Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prev…
July 24, 2023

466: New Workforce Recommendations, Community Health Worker Policy Discussion

Omar Khalid, ASTHO’s Director of Workforce, explains new strategies for enhancing workforce well-being and retention; Brianna Gorman, ASTHO’s Clinical to Community Connections team member, says community health workers are a…
June 1, 2023

432: An Equity Champion, Leaders Wanted

Dr. Palina Louangketh, Chief of the Bureau of Equity and Strategic Partnerships at the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, explains how her bureau is making healthcare in Idaho more equitable; Dr. Marissa Levine, Directo…
March 30, 2023

388: Tribal Vaccine Messaging, Celebrating a Family of 163 Doctors

Gary Lankford, Advances in Indian Health Care Program Director at the Association of American Indian Physicians, explains vaccine messaging that appeals to American Indian and Alaskan Native populations; Dr. Laura Chanchien …
Sept. 26, 2022

270: Tracking Polio in New York

Dr. Jim McDonald, Medical Director for the New York State Department of Health, discusses the discovery of polio in wastewater in at least two NY counties; Carolyn McCoy, ASTHO’s Senior Director of Federal Government Affairs…
Aug. 15, 2022

241: Monkeypox Vaccine Strategy

Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO’s Chief Medical Officer, discusses the plan to stretch monkeypox vaccine supplies by giving smaller doses;  Arjun Srinivasan, Associate Director for Healthcare Associated Infection Prevention Progra…
June 22, 2022

204: Smart Approaches to Brain Health

Dr. Jewell Mullen, Associate Dean for Health Equity in the Office of Health Equity at The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, offers her assessment of the work that still needs to be done to address Alzheimer’…