Public Health Policy Episodes

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 …
Oct. 16, 2023

524: CDC Director Urges Data Sharing, Wisconsin Prioritizes Youth Mental Health

CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen encourages public health agencies to share their data with each other; Linda Hall, Director of the Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health, says her state is working to align its government …
Sept. 27, 2023

512: Court Cases Impacting Public Health, Helping PH Managers

Christina Severin, ASTHO’s Director of Public Health Law, outlines upcoming Supreme Court cases that will impact public health; Susan Donnelly, Workforce Director at the Oklahoma State Department of Health, shares the work h…
Sept. 22, 2023

509: Bundling Vaccinations, Hoping to Avoid a Government Shutdown

Dr. Gillian SteelFisher, Director of Global Polling at the Harvard Opinion Research Program, says promoting the flu, RSV, and COVID-19 vaccines together help broaden the appeal; Dr. Jennifer Shuford, Commissioner for the Tex…
Sept. 7, 2023

498: Extreme Heat Ideas, Updated Healthy Aging Policy

Dr. Aaron Bernstein, Director of the National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR) at the CDC, explains the CDC’s work to address extreme heat; Dr. Ihsan Azzam…
Aug. 31, 2023

494: Mapping Overdose Center Legislation, Overdose Prevention Work Demands Flexibility

JoAnne McClure, ASTHO Senior Analyst for State Policy, explains an ASTHO webpage that tracks legislation to authorize overdose centers in some states; Dr. Laura Chisholm, Section Manager for Injury and Violence Prevention wi…
Aug. 30, 2023

493: Substance Use During Pregnancy, Partnering with the Youth Justice System

Sowmya Kuruganti, Analyst with ASTHO’s Family and Child Health Team, discusses disturbing numbers surrounding overdose-related deaths among pregnant and postpartum people; Shelby McCulley, Director of the Bureau of Youth Ser…
Aug. 25, 2023

490: Immunization Policy Statement, Fiscal Year Predictions

Kris Ehresmann, former Director of Infectious Disease at the Minnesota Department of Health, describes ASTHO’s revised policy statement; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s Senior Director of Government Affairs, discusses predictions for…
Aug. 21, 2023

486: Over-the-Counter Naloxone, Hurricane Partnerships

Richa Ranade, ASTHO’s Senior Director of Overdose Prevention, says ASTHO’s policy statement on over-the-counter naloxone supports increasing access; Chris Medina, State Medical Operations Center Director at the Texas Departm…
Aug. 16, 2023

483: PFAS Rulemaking, AI Finds Public Health

Beth Giambrone, ASTHO’s Senior Analyst of State Health Policy, says the EPA has proposed regulations on certain forever chemicals; Jamie Pina, ASTHO’s Vice President of Public Health Data Modernization, explains how artifici…
Aug. 7, 2023

476: Urging Calm Over COVID-19 Numbers, Health and Social Systems Alignment

Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO’s Chief Medical Officer, shares the current COVID-19 status and a look ahead into the coming seasons; Dr. Steven Stack, ASTHO president elect and the Commissioner for Public Health for the Commonwea…
Aug. 2, 2023

473:  Rethinking Rural Immunization Strategies, Expanding Mental Health Coverage

Melissa Magstadt, Cabinet Secretary for the South Dakota Department of Health, says healthcare must meet patients where they live; Ali Maffey, ASTHO’s Vice President of Social and Behavioral Health, explains approaches to ma…
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 25, 2023

467: ASTHO Releases Authority Policy Statement, CDC Kicks Off School Vaccination Campaign

Andy Baker-White, ASTHO’s Senior Director of State Health Policy, outlines three new policy recommendations on Public Health Legal Authority; Dr. Georgina Peacock, the Director of the Immunization Services Division in the Na…
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…