Episodes
107: Immunization Opportunities
Jan. 28, 2022
Rachael Banks, Oregon’s Director of Public Health, says the focus on immunizations during the pandemic is a perfect opportunity to expand the public health conversation. Immunizations are one of ASTHO’s top 10 policy issues …
106: Contact Tracing’s Role Today
Jan. 27, 2022
ASTHO Chief Medical Officer Dr. Marcus Plescia explains the latest thinking about how best to use case investigation and contact tracing to fight the Omicron variant; ASTHO joins several other national public health groups t…
105: Rural Health Needs
Jan. 26, 2022
ASTHO and associations representing epidemiologists, counties, cities, and public health labs issue a statement supporting jurisdictions moving away from universal case investigation and contact tracing at this point in the …
104: Advancing Health Equity
Jan. 25, 2022
Paula Tran, Wisconsin’s State Health Officer, says it’s possible to maintain health equity priorities even as the pandemic continues to strain resources. Health equity is among the issues considered in a set of 10 ASTHO poli…
103: Ending the HIV Epidemic
Jan. 24, 2022
Dr. Joseph Kanter, Louisiana’s State Health Officer, talks about fighting the HIV epidemic during the COVID-19 pandemic as ASTHO releases a set of 10 policy briefings focused on public health issues expected to be priorities…
102: Recalling COVID-19’s First Case Part 2
Jan. 21, 2022
Dr. John Wiesman, the former Secretary of Health in Washington state, gives his assessment of the nation's pandemic response since the first COVID-19 case was discovered in his state two years ago this week. He discusses wha…
101: Recalling COVID-19's First Case Part 1
Jan. 20, 2022
Dr. John Wiesman, the former Secretary of Health in Washington state, reflects on the moment the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in his state and thus the U.S.; Dr. Alexis Travis, Michigan’s State Health Officer, says i…
100: Rethinking School Discipline Part 2
Jan. 19, 2022
Robin Matthies, Director of Public and Behavioral Health Integration at ASTHO, explains why it’s important to consider restorative justice approaches to discipline in schools; Andy Baker-White, ASTHO’s Senior Director of Sta…
99: Rethinking School Discipline Part 1
Jan. 18, 2022
Maggie Davis, ASTHO’s Director of State Health Policy, provides an overview of a new ASTHO report about restorative justice in schools; Annie Evans, a senior analyst of disability integration and preparedness at ASTHO, marks…
98: MLK and Health Equity
Jan. 14, 2022
ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser considers Dr. Martin Luther King’s influence on public health and his impact on the organization’s approach to equity; Dr. Alexis Travis, Michigan’s State Health Officer, tells us how the civil rights i…
97: Announcing ASTHO’s 2022 Federal Policy Agenda
Jan. 13, 2022
Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO’s Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Relations, outlines the organization’s 2022 federal policy agenda and tells members what they ought to expect from Washington this year; ASTHO CE…
96: COVID-19 Messaging Lessons
Jan. 12, 2022
Robert Jennings, Executive Director of the National Public Health Information Coalition, discusses communications lessons learned during the pandemic; ProPublica journalist Caroline Chen hopes Congress reads her story about …
95: ProPublica’s Syphilis Investigation – Part 2
Jan. 11, 2022
Dr. Joseph Kanter, Louisiana’s State Health Officer, explains the evolution of messaging required by the fast-moving Omicron variant during an appearance on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal morning show Monday; ProPublica journal…
94: ProPublica’s Syphilis Investigation – Part 1
Jan. 10, 2022
Caroline Chen, a journalist for the non-profit news organization ProPublica, reports on public health’s work to combat a rising number of syphilis cases in the nation; ASTHO offers a new blog article with ideas and guidance …
93: Supreme Court Hears Vaccine Cases
Jan. 7, 2022
Lawrence Gostin, law professor at the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington D.C., tells us what to expect from today’s Supreme Court hearing on two Biden Administration COVID vaccine mandates; ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser …
92: School Nurses Navigate Omicron’s Surge
Jan. 6, 2022
Dr. Linda Mendonca, President of the National Association of School Nurses, explains how her members are coping with students’ return to classrooms amid the threat of the Omicron variant; Robert Jennings, Executive Director …
91: Immunization Proposals Await Action
Jan. 5, 2022
Andy Baker White, ASTHO’s Senior Director of State Health Policy, discusses immunization proposals scheduled for consideration in legislatures across the nation; Caroline Chen, a journalist writing for ProPublica, connects s…
90: Helping Kids Hurt by COVID
Jan. 4, 2022
ASTHO President Dr. Nirav Shah outlines four priorities he says must be at the top of the public health agenda in 2022; John Bridgeland, Co-Founder and CEO of the COVID Collaborative, discusses recommendations for helping ch…
89: Fighting COVID-19 in the Pacific
Dec. 21, 2021
Karl Ensign, ASTHO’s Vice President of Territorial Support, shares lessons learned fighting COVID-19 in the U.S. territories; Kelly Wroblewski, Director of Infectious Disease Programs at the Association of Public Health Labo…
88: Labs Prepared for Winter
Dec. 20, 2021
ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser hopes the new year signals a shift in the pandemic; Kelly Wroblewski, Director of Infectious Diseases for the Association of Public Health Laboratories, says labs are ready for whatever the pandemic bri…
87: 2022 Public Health Policy Agenda
Dec. 17, 2021
ASTHO Chief Medical Officer Dr. Marcus Plescia says even though everyone is tired of the pandemic, we can’t give up fighting the virus now; ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser, along with two other public health leaders, says the pandemic…
86: Power Outage Preparedness
Dec. 16, 2021
Eric Cote, an expert in emergency power preparedness, tells us why it’s important to know who relies on electricity for their medical devices when power is lost in a community; Stephen Heck, an ASTHO Disability and Preparedn…
85: Public Health on Capitol Hill
Dec. 15, 2021
Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO’s Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Relations, analyzes the Build Back Better Act and looks ahead to the possibility of another continuing resolution in February; Dr. Nicole Alexand…
84: Vaccine Anniversary and Lawsuit
Dec. 14, 2021
Mike Fraser, ASTHO’s CEO, recognizes the first anniversary of a COVID-19 vaccine and discusses hesitancy; Professor Dorit Reiss, University of California Hastings College of the Law, examines the legal arguments behind a law…