Healthcare Access Episodes

Aug. 29, 2024

739: New Maternal Health Dashboards, Urine Tests Look for Chemicals in Minnesota Kids

Dr. Jennifer Shuford, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services and an ASTHO Member, discusses her state’s updated data dashboards; Dr. Jessica Nelson, program director and epidemiologist with the Minneso…
Aug. 26, 2024

736: Flexibility Helps Indiana Funding Succeed, New Health in All Policies Evaluation Tool

Dr. Lindsay Weaver, state health commissioner of Indiana, discusses the state’s record investment in public health; an ASTHO blog article details behavioral health-related workforce initiatives happening across the states an…
Aug. 7, 2024

723: Certified Wellness Coaches, AZ Reach

Ben Gamache, policy consultant for the Office of Health Workforce Development at the Department of Health Care Access and Information, explains why California has created a new position; Dr. Lisa Villarroel, chief medical of…
May 28, 2024

673: ASTHO Reports New PH Policies, Behavioral Health Urgent Care Centers

Maggie Davis, ASTHO director of State Health Policy, updates us on public health policy updates from state legislatures across the country; Kody Kinsley, North Carolina secretary of Health and Human Services, says North Caro…
April 12, 2024

642: Black Maternal Health Week, PH Appropriations Book

Chemyeeka Tumblin, a licensed marriage and family therapist specializing in perinatal and maternal mental health, outlines the importance of Black Maternal Health Week; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO's senior director for government a…
April 9, 2024

639: Workforce Pipeline Progress, Strategies to Reduce Congenital Syphilis

AJ Pearlman, director of Public Health AmeriCorps, says more than 4-thousand people are learning about public health as part of the program; Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, director of the Ohio Department of Health, and Dr. Debra Boge…
April 5, 2024

637: Silos Hamper Reproductive Health Work, Quitline Expands

Clare Coleman, president and CEO of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, says silos can hinder access to reproductive and sexual health care; Dr. Daniel Edney, state health officer for the Missis…
April 2, 2024

634: Lead Initiatives Benefit Colorado Kids, PH Infrastructure Gets Boost

Jill Hunsaker Ryan, executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and an ASTHO member, tells us healthy neighborhoods are the focus on day two of National Public Health Week; Dr. Nizar Wehbi,…
March 21, 2024

626: Island Heart Health, 2024 Preparedness Summit

Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO chief medical officer, tells us ASTHO continues to focus on improving heart health in our island areas; Lisa Peterson, ASTHO senior director for preparedness, discusses the upcoming 2024 Preparednes…
March 13, 2024

620: Prepping for a Wave of Seniors, Listeria Response Relies on Communication

Dr. Lisa Iezzoni, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, worries the U.S. isn’t ready to accommodate the coming wave of seniors with disabilities; Jennifer Botsford, bureau chief for the Bureau of Environmental Hea…
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…
Feb. 29, 2024

611: Harm Reduction Strategies, A Recruiter Calls Mike Fraser

Dr. Kaitlan Baston, ASTHO Member and acting commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Health, discusses a new law in New Jersey that decriminalizes many harm reduction supplies; Andra Samoa, a Department of Health consult…
Jan. 17, 2024

581: Policies Connect Health Care and PH Funding Tips

Brianna Gorman, ASTHO analyst for Performance Excellence, explains ways to connect public health and health care in communities; Dr. Lindsay Weaver, ASTHO member and state health commissioner for the Indiana Department of He…
Oct. 25, 2023

531: RSV Vaccine Pitch, Virus Disparities

Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO Chief Medical Officer, wants public health to focus on medical providers as the primary way to promote the RSV vaccine; an ASTHO blog article explains why public health readiness during the respirat…
Oct. 2, 2023

515: Menthol Messaging, Retail Food Safety Grants

Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO’s Chief Medical Officer, offers public health agencies three talking points they can use when the tobacco industry tries to argue against proposed bans on flavored tobacco products; Dr. Alison Evans…