Federal Government Affairs Episodes

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 AS…
March 5, 2024

614: New ASTHO CEO Announced

Dr. Steven Stack, ASTHO president and commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, announces Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO alum, as incoming CEO; Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO’s newly-announced CEO, who joins ASTHO from …
March 4, 2024

613: Members Meet Legislators, Islands Discuss Priorities

Dr. Manisha Juthani, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health, spent her week in Washington, D.C., discussing the importance of the Public Health Infrastructure Grant to her state; Arthur San Agustin, spec…
Feb. 16, 2024

603: Report Calls for New Health Data Approach, ASTHO Members Plan Hill Visit

Dr. Gabriel Seidman, Director of Policy at the Ellison Institute of Technology, details the need for a stronger nationwide health data ecosystem; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO Senior Director for Government Affairs, tells us how some…
Jan. 22, 2024

584: Violence Prevention Work Gets Attention, First Responders Connect Via Telemedicine Link

Dr. Elizabeth Cuervo Tilson, State Health Director and Chief Medical Officer of the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services, tells us about a recent meeting with officials from the White House Office of Gun Viol…
Jan. 12, 2024

579: Tracking Congressional Deadlines, King’s Message Mirrors PH Concerns

Kyle Gasaway, ASTHO communications manager for the Leadership and Learning Unit, talks about the very successful Diverse Executives Leading in Public Health program; Jeffrey Ekoma, senior director for Government Affairs, is …
Jan. 5, 2024

574: Tracking Respiratory Illness, Congressional Deadlines Loom

Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO chief medical officer, is tracking reports of respiratory illness across the U.S.; Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO senior vice president for Government Affairs and Public Relations, discusses a federal fundin…
Nov. 17, 2023

547: Listening and Data in Native Communities, Congress Meets a Deadline

Melissa Magstadt, secretary of health for the South Dakota Department of Health, outlines how she works with nine sovereign nations in her state; Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO senior vice president for Government Affairs and Public …
Nov. 7, 2023

540: How to Hire a Public Health Nurse, Roundtables Get Lawmakers Talking

Dr. Robert Goldstein, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, says local agency partnerships are key to the success of new public health performance standards; Allison Nickrent, director of governmenta…
Nov. 3, 2023

538: One Health Simplified, Shutdown Potential

Dr. Karen Smith, Former California Public Health Officer, discusses how agencies can begin their One Health approach; an ASTHO report outlines how Idaho and New Jersey are taking a One Health approach to address environmenta…
Oct. 27, 2023

533: ASTHO President Seeks Common Ground, Congress Moving Again

Dr. Steven Stack, ASTHO’s New President and Commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, wants to find common ground to push public health forward in his new role; Georges Benjamin, Executive Director of the Am…
Sept. 8, 2023

499: Equity Strategies Cohort Forming, Federal Shutdown Looms

Jessica Fepelstein, ASTHO Analyst of State and Community Engagement, explains the work the ASTHO Strategies to Repair Equity and Transform Community Health (STRETCH) Initiative is doing to promote health equity; Carolyn Mull…
July 28, 2023

470: Mental Health Rulemaking, Senate Version of PH Spending

Alison Maffey, ASTHO’s Vice President of Social and Behavioral Health, explains the impact of President Biden’s proposed rule to make it easier to access in-network mental health care; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s Senior Director …
July 21, 2023

465: New Violence Prevention Plan, FY 24 Public Health Funding Proposal Examined

Tracie Campbell, Senior Health Manager and the leader of Mecklenburg County Public Health Office of Violence Prevention, shares a five-year plan to reduce community violence; Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO Senior Vice President of Go…
July 14, 2023

460: Big City Gun Violence Data, Drug Shortage Letter to Congress

Chrissie Juliano, the Executive Director of the Big Cities Health Coalition, says that policy changes are needed to address rising rates of gun violence; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s Senior Director of Government Affairs, explains…