Substance Misuse Episodes

Feb. 14, 2024

601: Use Policy to Achieve Health Equity, Stigma Hurts Long COVID Patients

Dr. Brooke Cunningham, ASTHO Member and Health Commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Health, reflects on the importance of using policy to achieve racial equity; Dr. Priti Patel, CDC...
Dec. 22, 2023

570: Policies Protect Health Data, Series Serves as Early-Warning System, ASTHO’s 2024 Federal Legislative Agenda

Lillian Colasurdo, ASTHO director of Public Health Law and Data Sharing, discusses work to protect consumer data gathered from a growing number of health-related transactions; Mike Fraser, ASTHO CEO, reacts to the legislativ…
Dec. 12, 2023

562: Harm Reduction Gets Legislative Attention, Tainted Applesauce Investigation Expands

Dr. Steven Stack, ASTHO president and commissioner of public health for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, discusses substance misuse and overdose prevention strategies; Dr. Susan Kansagra, North Carolina Department of Health and…
Dec. 11, 2023

561: ASTHO’s 2024 Legislative Overview Starts Today, Holiday Campaign Offers Treatment Message

Dr. Lindsay Weaver, state health commissioner for the Indiana Department of Health, discusses the state’s campaign to increase investment in public health; Dr. Ralph Alvarado, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Publ…
Nov. 28, 2023

552: ASTHO Updates Sexual and Reproductive Health Policy Statement, New Grants Management Toolkit

Patricia Tilley, director, Division of Public Health Services with the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, discusses ASTHO’s sexual and reproductive health policy statement; Meghan Fadel, associate directo…
Oct. 30, 2023

534: Alliance to Solve Substance Use, Advice to Prevent Falls

Dr. Cathy Slemp, Former State Health Officer for the WV Department of Health and Human Resources and now Co-Chair of the West Virginia Hope in Action Alliance, says the alliance is a group that builds collaborations focused …
Oct. 18, 2023

526: Youth Substance Use Interventions, PH Jobs Website Attracts Candidates

Dr. Sarah Stoddard, a member of the Community Preventive Services Task Force with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, says the organization reviewed 60 studies to determine what can help prevent substance use a…
March 28, 2023

386: Dealing with Xylazine, Island Care for Veterans

Dr. Daniel Edney, State Health Officer for the Mississippi State Department of Health, discusses the dangers of Xylazine, a strong tranquilizer, and how to treat patients who have ingested it; Moses Pretrick, Federated State…
July 28, 2022

229: Heat Waves Require New Thinking

Dr. Evan Mallen, an ORISE Fellow with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says cities and states need to adapt plans and programs to changes in climate that impact public health; Dr. Joseph Kanter, State Health O…
July 25, 2022

226: CDC’s Multi-Billion Dollar Investment

Nick Davidson, Senior Deputy for Public Health with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, discusses the CDC’s plan to invest almost four billion dollars in public health capacity, workforce, and …
July 21, 2022

224: Children’s Mental Health

Annie Evans, ASTHO’s Director of Preparedness and Disability Integration, discusses the results of an 18-month project that placed disability and preparedness specialists in jurisdictions across the states and territories; J…
July 20, 2022

223: New PFAS Water Quality Advisories

Bruno Pigott, Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Water at the Environmental Protection Agency, calls attention to new drinking water guidance that considers exposure to PFAS chemicals from all sources of exposu…
July 18, 2022

221: Massachusetts Opioid Strategy

Margret Cooke, Commissioner for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, reflects on new preliminary data showing possible improvement this year for opioid-related overdose deaths; Dr. Amy Ladley, the State Perinatal Q…
July 14, 2022

219: New Opioid Use Disorder Infographics

Sanaa Akbarali, ASTHO’s Senior Director for Maternal and Infant Health, discusses strategies to improve care for pregnant and postpartum people with opioid use disorder; ASTHO produces a special supplement for the American J…
July 12, 2022

217: Opioid Abuse Child Impact Task Force

Dr. Denise Johnson, Acting Secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Health, outlines the goals of a new task force considering the impact opioid abuse has on children in the state; Jon Rubin, Deputy Secretary for the Pen…