901: Opioid Engagement, Radiological Readiness

SUMMER JOHNSON: 

This is the award-winning Public Health Review Morning Edition for Wednesday, May 7, 2025. I'm Summer Johnson. Now, today's news from the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

ALEXANDER WALLEY: 

You need buy-in, and you need approaches that are evidence-based and effective, but that are also going to be accessible in the community. And so, because of the stigma, it's really important to engage the community so that there won't be more harm than good.

JOHNSON: 

That's Dr. Alex Walley of Boston University addressing the opioid overdose crisis. Rhode Island recently held its Community Overdose Engagement Summit, or CODE, where Walley was a speaker. He says that while prescriptions for chronic pain drove the first wave of the crisis, it's evolved into something more.

WALLEY: 

The fourth wave kind of started around 2018/2019 and that was really still based on fentanyl, but fentanyl was getting mixed with other substances, like stimulants as one example. So, that would include cocaine and methamphetamine, sometimes on purpose, and sometimes unwittingly.

JOHNSON: 

The Rhode Island Department of Health and the Governor's Overdose Task Force are some of the partners behind the CODE initiative, and the idea at the center of the CODE initiative is community. Walley discussed the role of better data collection in responding to the crisis, including community drug checking.

WALLEY: 

This is where people who are using drugs or samples that are found, maybe through law enforcement or otherwise, can be analyzed so that we have a sense of what exactly is in the drug supply that's circulating in the community.

JOHNSON: 

Regarding strategies, Walley emphasizes what has been proven effective throughout the crisis.

WALLEY: 

For those people who are using substances, drugs, for them to have a plan on how to keep themselves safe if they overdose, that's called safety planning. Part of that plan being having naloxone available so that it can be administered as an antidote to an overdose. It's very effective through all four waves of this epidemic.

JOHNSON: 

Head to the show notes for more information on Rhode Island's CODE initiative. While you're there, you can listen to audio or watch a video replay of the summit.

This morning, we also discussed preparing for radiological incidents with Sean Graham, Deputy Director of Emergency Preparedness for the State of Georgia Department of Public Health. He's also involved with the National Alliance for [CORRECTION: Radiation] Readiness, or NARR. Graham explains preparedness for all types of radiological emergencies.

SEAN GRAHAM: 

People think about radiation only being in nuclear power plants, but hospitals have it because they need it for certain procedures during their nuclear medicine tests, as well as it is transported to and from facilities on the national highway system, so there is a chance of a potential spill on our roads, and we have to be able to respond to those types of emergencies.

JOHNSON: 

Graham says his department has a requirement to be able to respond to radiological emergencies as part of its funding, but he stresses that preparedness is critical for local agencies.

GRAHAM: 

The biggest thing is the psychological piece to radiation is because it's really unknown. Not a lot of people understand radiation, how it works. The fact that we get, receive radiation every day from our celestial environment, and radon gas is another one that's common that causes radiation. So, there's a lot of unknowns.

JOHNSON: 

Graham also underscores, a well-rounded readiness approach involves different experts working together. His radiological response plan will go to NARR for those epidemiologists and health physicists to weigh in.

WALLEY: 

But it's also good to have a second set of eyes, or people who work in the industry all the time, like health physicists [who] do deal with radiation, to have them as a backup or a subject matter expert we could reach out to in the event that we do have a response to a radiological event.

JOHNSON: 

You can learn more about radiological preparedness and NARR by using the link in the show notes.

Also, May is Mental Health Awareness Month, so we will be highlighting some of the many tools and resources ASTHO has available to you as you examine your mental health and suicide prevention programming. Head to the show notes for a link.

Finally today, ASTHO extends a hearty congratulations to ASTHO member, Dr. Victor Ramos, secretary of health for the Puerto Rico Department of Health. He was honored at the 11th Preventative Health and Immunization Congress for his leadership and accomplishments in public health. Learn more about it through the link in the show notes.

That'll do it for today. We're back tomorrow morning with more ASTHO news and information. I'm Summer Johnson, you're listening to the award-winning Public Health Review, Morning Edition, have a great day.