Season 1
65: Caring for Veterans
Nov. 10, 2021
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…
64: Vaccine Incentives Explained
Nov. 9, 2021
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…
63: Build Back Better Funds PH
Nov. 8, 2021
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, …
62: Vaccine Hesitant Parents
Nov. 5, 2021
A panel of ASTHO members met with journalists for a virtual news conference Thursday to discuss the new pediatric COVID-19 vaccine and the challenges involved with convincing hesitant parents to vaccinate their kids against …
61: Pediatric Vaccine Challenges
Nov. 4, 2021
Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO’s Chief Medical Officer, reacts to the decision to recommend approval of a pediatric COVID-19 vaccine; Dr. Nicole Alexander Scott, Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, says Health Equi…
60: Vaccinating Pregnant People
Nov. 3, 2021
Dr. Kristina Box, Indiana’s State Health Commissioner, discusses the complex task of vaccinating hesitant pregnant people against COVID-19; ASTHO releases advice from community groups gathered to explore possible responses t…
59: Today’s Vaccine Vote
Nov. 2, 2021
Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, Director of the Washington D.C. Department of Health, addresses the importance of answering parents’ questions about COVID-19 vaccines for children; Dr. Lee Norman, Secretary of the Kansas Department o…
58: School Mask Lawsuits
Nov. 1, 2021
Maggie Davis, ASTHO’s Director of State Health Policy, examines the flurry of lawsuits and court orders resulting from legislative and executive prohibitions of school masking policies; Lindsey Myers, ASTHO’s Vice President …
57: COVID Tricks on Halloween
Oct. 29, 2021
Dr. Brian Castrucci, President and CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation, explains how public health departments can use upcoming data from the PH Wins workforce study fielded by his organization and ASTHO; Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff,…
56: APHA Conference Takeaways
Oct. 28, 2021
Dr. Georges Benjamin, Executive Director of the American Public Health Association, discusses the key takeaways from this week’s APHA annual conference; Dr. Mishka Terplan, a nationally recognized expert in the care of pregn…
54: PH Workforce Crisis
Oct. 26, 2021
Dr. Brian Castrucci, President and CEO of the non-profit de Beaumont Foundation, considers the public health workforce crisis; Dr. Kristina Box, Indiana’s State Health Commissioner, says public health departments can help re…
53: Grassroots Vaccination Strategy
Oct. 25, 2021
Judith Persichilli, New Jersey’s Commissioner of Health, explains a data driven grassroots COVID-19 vaccination strategy that saved lives; New York Times journalist Danielle Ivory tells us how she would use the information i…
52: New York Times PH Survey – Pt 2
Oct. 22, 2021
New York Times journalist Danielle Ivory details the feedback she and her team received from public health professionals responding to the newspaper’s survey about their work during the pandemic; ASTHO Board Member and forme…
51: New York Times PH Survey
Oct. 21, 2021
Danielle Ivory, a journalist for the New York Times, explains the results of the newspaper’s survey of hundreds of local public health departments; Senate budgeteers release FY 22 Appropriations bills, including a historic i…
50: Social Media Health Concerns
Oct. 20, 2021
Stephanie Smiley, former state health officer for Wisconsin, examines the impact of social media on young people; Community COVID Coalition members release new social media animations to educate people ages 18 to 24 about va…
49: Preparing for Flu Season
Oct. 19, 2021
Dr. Denise Johnson, Acting Physician General at the Pennsylvania Department of Health, discusses the upcoming flu season; Avia Mason, ASTHO Vice President of Learning Strategy, outlines ASTHO’s annual fall board meeting agen…
48: Pt 2 -State of the COVID-19 Response
Oct. 18, 2021
Dr. Nirav Shah, ASTHO President and Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, talks about the importance of COVID vaccines for young children; Executive coach Larry Lewis explains the value of recogniz…
47: State of the COVID-19 Response
Oct. 15, 2021
Dr. Nirav Shah, ASTHO President and Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, addresses the state of the campaign against COVID-19; Kim Martin, ASTHO’s Director of Immunizations, says more approved boo…
46: New FDA Booster Shot Debate
Oct. 14, 2021
ASTHO Chief Medical Officer Dr. Marcus Plescia forecasts this week’s FDA discussions about the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 booster shots; ASTHO President Elect Dr. Anne Zink explains the importance of recognizing …
45: Infection Control Funding
Oct. 13, 2021
Janet Hamilton, Executive Director of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists explains how $2 billion in CDC funds will help hospitals and healthcare facilities fight infections; Jonathan Wolfe, ASTHO’s Senior D…
44: The Next Medicaid Cliff?
Oct. 12, 2021
Dr. Jose Romero, Secretary of the Arkansas Department of Health, discusses the negative impact vaccine misinformation has on efforts to protect communities of color from the COVID-19 virus; Congressman Darren Soto of Florida…
43: New Tools to Reduce STIs
Oct. 8, 2021
Dr. Kimberlee Wyche-Etheridge, ASTHO’s new Senior Vice President of Health Equity and Diversity Initiatives, wraps up her first week on the job; Julia Greenspan, ASTHO’s Senior Analyst for Infectious Diseases, debuts a new s…
42: New Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Report
Oct. 7, 2021
Dr. Nirav Shah, ASTHO President and Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, discusses concerns of workshop participants about the way Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) decisions are communicated; Eri…
41: EUA Messaging
Oct. 6, 2021
In a special edition of the newscast, ASTHO President Dr. Nirav Shah, ASTHO President Elect Dr. Anne Zink, ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser, and Scott Becker, CEO of the Association of Public Health Laboratories, discuss the FDA’s Emer…
40: Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccines
Oct. 5, 2021
Dr. Jose Romero, a pediatrician and Secretary of the Arkansas Department of Health, discusses COVID-19 vaccines for kids and parental hesitancy; ASTHO leaders discuss the FDA’s Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) process durin…
39: Territories Avoid Medicaid Cliff
Oct. 4, 2021
Carolyn McCoy, ASTHO’s Senior Director of Federal Government Affairs, explains how an extension of Medicaid funding for U.S. Territories gives them more time to work toward a permanent policy solution; Dr. Joseph Kanter, Lou…
38: Wildfire and Hurricane Preparedness
Oct. 1, 2021
Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO’s Chief Medical Officer, discusses the appropriate role of monoclonal antibodies in the COVID-19 response; ASTHO has a Q/A for public health teams who need to explain the CDC’s revised guidance for …
37: Workforce Reforms Pitched
Sept. 30, 2021
Dr. Joseph Kanter, Louisiana’s State Health Officer and Medical Director, calls on Congress to take steps to address urgent public health workforce needs; Dr. Umair Shah, Secretary of Health for Washington state, reminds pub…
36: Heart Health Messages
Sept. 29, 2021
Dr. Dave Dixon, a clinical pharmacist and a member of the American College of Cardiology’s Prevention Section and Leadership Council, tells us how public health teams can apply the message of World Heart Day in their jurisdi…
35: Medicaid Cliff Nears
Sept. 28, 2021
Karl Ensign, ASTHO’s Vice President for Territorial Support, discusses the potential for Congressional action to approve enhanced financial support for Medicaid services in the U.S. Territories, as a Thursday deadline nears;…
34: Public Health Workforce Survey Launched
Sept. 27, 2021
Joanne Pearsol, ASTHO’s Director of Leadership and Workforce, discusses the impact the COVID-19 pandemic might have on the results of the latest PHWins survey now in the field; Dr. Ed Ehlinger, Minnesota’s former state healt…
33: Booster Votes Explained
Sept. 24, 2021
ASTHO Chief Medical Officer Dr. Marcus Plescia explains several votes taken by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Thursday, including one against COVID-19 booster shots for people with occupational or ins…
32: Federal Debt Limit Alert
Sept. 23, 2021
ASTHO releases a legislative alert on the status of Congressional negotiations to extend the federal debt limit; Ray Barishansky, Deputy Secretary for Health Preparedness and Community Protection at the Pennsylvania Departme…
31: Booster Shot Debate
Sept. 22, 2021
Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer and ASTHO President-elect, considers the potential for COVID-19 booster shots for some populations; Nick Porter, ASTHO’s Director for Environmental Health, explains how members c…
30: Public Health Powers
Sept. 21, 2021
Dr. Joshua Starr, CEO of PDK International, explains how polling parents of school children can inform public health messaging; Andy Baker-White, ASTHO’s Senior Director for State Health Policy, discusses the impact of new s…
29: Vaccinating Neighborhoods
Sept. 20, 2021
Haley Burrous, an analyst on ASTHO’s preparedness team, explains a positive side effect of Mississippi’s in-home vaccination program; Adrienne Williams, a disability specialist working with the Mississippi State Department o…
28: Supporting the Public Health Workforce
Sept. 17, 2021
Dr. Norman Oliver, Virginia’s Health Commissioner, discusses the approach states and territories should take to funding for the public health workforce; ASTHO Chief Medical Officer Dr. Marcus Plescia reacts to a new CDC/Trus…
26: Congressional Priorities
Sept. 15, 2021
Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO’s Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Relations, outlines Congressional priorities as lawmakers return to Capitol Hill; Dr. Lisa Grohskopf, with the CDC’s Influenza Division, discusse…
25: FDA’s E-Cigarette Review
Sept. 14, 2021
Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s Director of Government Affairs, discusses the FDA’s move to delay a decision on marketing applications for some flavored e-cigarette products; Melissa McGrath, Chief of Staff for the Council of Chief S…
24: Reaction to the COVID-19 Strategy
Sept. 13, 2021
ASTHO CEO Michael Fraser shares member feedback about President Biden’s new COVID-19 strategy; Dr. Thomas Dobbs, Mississippi’s State Health Officer, explains the pandemic’s impact on the nation’s hospitals; ASTHO issues a re…
23: The President’s COVID-19 Strategy
Sept. 10, 2021
Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO’s Chief Medical Officer, reacts to President Biden’s new COVID-19 strategy; Dr. Norman Oliver, Virginia’s Health Commissioner, discusses the network ready to administer COVID-19 booster shots; Robin…
22: Emergency Help Requests
Sept. 9, 2021
Win Rawls, ASTHO’s Director of Preparedness and Evaluation, explains the increased demand for interstate emergency help among states and territories and the impact on the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC); Dr. U…
21: New Guide to Inclusive Communications
Sept. 8, 2021
Booker Daniels, with the CDC’s Division of Public Affairs, details a new online resource to help public health professionals improve their inclusive communication skills; Kerry Wyss, ASTHO’s Director of Environmental Health,…
20: 9/11 Preparedness Lessons
Sept. 7, 2021
Lisa Peterson, ASTHO’s Director of Health and Homeland Security, reviews plans for Thursday’s event to examine preparedness twenty years after 9/11; and Dr. Pritesh Gandhi, Chief Medical Officer for the U.S. Department of Ho…
19: COVID-19 News Conference
Sept. 3, 2021
State health officials held a virtual news conference with journalists Thursday to address the latest in the public health response to COVID-19. Dr. Nirav Shah, ASTHO President and Director of the Maine Center for Disease Co…
18: Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Facts
Sept. 2, 2021
Dr. Scott Harris, Alabama’s State Health Officer, urges residents to help curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus; Meredith Allen, ASTHO’s Vice President of Health Security, tells states and territories five things they need t…
17: New Vaccine Messaging
Sept. 1, 2021
Dr. Thomas Dobbs, Mississippi’s State Health Officer, questions vaccine misinformation; Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO’s Chief Medical Officer, discusses vaccine safety on KNX NewsRadio, Los Angeles; Rhea Farberman, Director of S…
16: Overdose Awareness and Action
Aug. 31, 2021
Dr. Mark Levine, Vermont’s Commissioner of Health, outlines steps states and territories can take to address the alarming rise in the number of overdose deaths in the United States; Luke Tomsha, founder of The Perfectly Flaw…
15: CDC Domestic Travel Guidance
Aug. 30, 2021
Dr. Kristina Angelo, a medical epidemiologist with the CDC, tells ASTHO members how they can help get the word out about the revised recommendations for domestic travelers; Cassandra Thompson, ASTHO’s Director of Preparednes…
14: Vaccination Card Verification
Aug. 27, 2021
Jim Blumenstock, ASTHO’s Senior Vice President for Pandemic Response and Recovery, discusses the importance of collaboration as states and territories stand up systems to verify an individual’s vaccination status; Joshua Ber…