Episodes

Dec. 16, 2021

86: Power Outage Preparedness

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…
Dec. 15, 2021

85: Public Health on Capitol Hill

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…
Dec. 14, 2021

84: Vaccine Anniversary and Lawsuit

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…
Dec. 13, 2021

83: Senate Vaccine Mandate Resolution

Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO’s Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Relations, says it’s unlikely Congress will roll back one of President Biden’s vaccine mandates; Devon Page, a government affairs analyst at ASTH…
Dec. 10, 2021

82: Vaccine Awareness

Kim Martin, ASTHO’s Director of Immunization, tells us how an event like National Influenza Vaccination Week impacts vaccination awareness; ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser says communities weary of COVID-19 cannot afford to let their …
Dec. 9, 2021

81: State of Vaccines

Claire Hannan, Executive Director of the Association of Immunization Managers, says vaccines have benefited from the attention they’ve received during the pandemic; Jessica Baggett, ASTHO’s COVID-19 Response Director, says s…
Dec. 8, 2021

80: New Long Haulers Media Campaign

Dr. Tom Frieden, President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, a non-profit organization, debuts a media campaign sharing stories of young people suffering from Long COVID; The White House hosts a Maternal Health Day of Action…
Dec. 7, 2021

79: Public Health’s Future

Dr. Judy Monroe, President and CEO of the CDC Foundation, shares details of a new series of discussions considering the future of public health; Felecia Barrow, an ASTHO Disability and Preparedness Specialist working in Alab…
Dec. 6, 2021

78: Vaccine Mandate Prediction

ASTHO Chief Medical Officer Dr. Marcus Plescia says influenza and COVID-19 have a lot in common, as National Influenza Vaccination Week kicks off today; Professor James Hodge Jr., at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at…
Dec. 3, 2021

77: ASTHO Reacts to Winter COVID Strategy

ASTHO leaders react to President Biden’s winter COVID-19 strategy. Dr. Nirav Shah, ASTHO President and Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO’s Chief Medical Officer, d…
Dec. 2, 2021

76: Omicron Variant Now in the U.S.

ASTHO Chief Medical Officer Dr. Marcus Plescia says there are more questions than answers regarding the Omicron variant now in the United States; Dr. Plescia writes in a new ASTHO blog article that the pandemic presents an h…
Dec. 1, 2021

75: World AIDS Day Impact

Dr. Stephen Lee, Executive Director of the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, talks about World AIDS Day and the opportunities for public health agencies; Dr. Umair Shah, Washington’s Secretary of Hea…
Nov. 30, 2021

74: The White House Celebrates Public Health

Several ASTHO members attend a White House event in appreciation of public health workers across the states and territories. ASTHO President Dr. Nirav Shah, ASTHO President-Elect Dr. Anne Zink, California’s Dr. Tomas Aragon,…
Nov. 29, 2021

73: Alzheimer’s Strategy

Dr. Alexis Travis, Michigan’s Senior Deputy Director at the Department of Health and Human Services, explains her focus on caring for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias; Janet Hamilton, Executive Director of the Cou…
Nov. 22, 2021

72: Public Health Thank You Day

ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser offers his thoughts on today’s Public Health Thank You Day celebration recognizing public health workers across the states and territories. He also previews a special event at the White House scheduled …
Nov. 19, 2021

71: Title X Grants Explained

Clare Coleman, President and CEO of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, explains how to apply for a new round of Title X grants now available from HHS; Dr. Steven Stack, Commissioner of the Kent…
Nov. 18, 2021

70: An MD to Lead ONDCP

ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser says the appointment of Dr. Rahul Gupta, the former West Virginia health commissioner, to be Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy,  is good news for states and territories;…
Nov. 17, 2021

69: Tribal Communities COVID Response

Lynn Trujillo, Secretary of the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department, explains the challenges and successes of the COVID-19 response in her state’s tribal communities; Mylynn Tufte, North Dakota’s former state health officia…
Nov. 16, 2021

68: Leading with Gratitude

Mylynn Tufte, North Dakota’s former state health official, explains the power of gratitude in advance of her Insight and Inspiration talk on Thursday, Nov. 18; Rhea Farberman, Director of Strategic Communications and Policy …
Nov. 15, 2021

67: Polling the Pandemic

The Rockefeller Foundation releases its 5th survey of Americans’ attitudes about the pandemic response; Dr. Nicole Alexander Scott, Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, says every public health agency should up…
Nov. 12, 2021

66: New Health Misinformation Toolkit

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy unveils a new health misinformation toolkit; Dr. Anne Zink, ASTHO President-Elect, gives parents five reasons to vaccinate their kids against COVID-19; Sami Jo Freeman, Deputy Communicat…
Nov. 10, 2021

65: Caring for Veterans

Sen. Kalani Kaneko of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, himself a former health official, shares how military veterans from the freely associated states aligned with the U.S. cannot access their health benefits if they d…
Nov. 9, 2021

64: Vaccine Incentives Explained

Kimberly Hood, Assistant Secretary for the Office of Public Health at the Louisiana Department of Health, explains why the state expanded its COVID-19 vaccine incentive program to include payments for kids who get the new pe…
Nov. 8, 2021

63: Build Back Better Funds PH

Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s Senior Director for Government Affairs, says the latest version of the Build Back Better Act includes billions for public health projects; Richa Ranade, ASTHO’s Senior Director of Overdose Prevention, …