Lillian Colasurdo, ASTHO Director of Public Health Law and Data Sharing, tells us about part one of ASTHO’s 2024 Legislative session update; Dr. Katrina Piercy, Director of the Division of Prevention Science in the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, discusses the federal government’s report on physical activity guidelines for older adults; healthy aging is the focus of a new ASTHO resource; and podcasters in the software space says the ASTHO Profile dashboard is one of the best-designed websites they have ever seen. ASTHO ..read more

Liz Gipson, Senior Program Officer at the Center for Healthcare Strategies, discusses a case study about New Jersey contraception legislation that ASTHO partnered on; Catherine Jones, ASTHO Senior Analyst for Government Affairs, says the federal government is beginning to have discussions about the rapidly aging U.S. population; and an ASTHO blog article offers several perspectives on how a diverse public health workforce can be beneficial. ASTHO Webpage: Contraception Access Learning Community – Resources New Jersey Webpage: A Study of New Jersey Assembly Bill 4503 ASTHO Blog Article: Federal ..read more

Dr. Sameer Vohra, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, tells us about his state’s “Pause to Heal” campaign; Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Relations, discusses a recent meeting she attended where she heard from staff members with the House Minority Leader’s office; the National Coalition of STD Directors and ASTHO will host a webinar on May 22 that will feature a “policy 101” perspective focused on state legislative sessions; and Emma Talkington, ASTHO Senior Analyst on the Environmental Health team, recaps the State Environmental ..read more

Derek Olson, Web Content Manager for the Washington State Department of Health, tells us the importance of digital access and inclusion; Emily Lapayowker, Assistant Director of Web at ASTHO, says ASTHO has systems to ensure its online products are accessible; and two ASTHO-authored papers in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice examine the agency role associated with healthy aging. Washington State Department of Health Webpage Global Accessibility Awareness Day Webpage Journal of Public Health Management and Practice Article: Improving Older Adult Health by Operationalizing Sta ..read more

Dr. Sally Rafie, Founder of Birth Control Pharmacist, says pharmacies are an accessible and private option for those in need of contraceptive care; Joy Burkhard, Executive Director of the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health, wants to make sure providers who see pregnant people and new parents get the help they need to perform screenings; an ASTHO blog article covers Missouri's response to a maternal health crisis; and disease forecasting is the topic of an ASTHO webinar set for later this week. ASTHO Webinar: Implementation of Pharmacist-Prescribed Contraception: Health Plan Coverage of S ..read more

Aaron Ferguson, Manager of the Climate and Tracking Unit in the Division of Environmental Health at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, tells us what Michigan leadership learned when they dealt with unprecedented air quality in the state; Karla Granado, Senior Operations Manager with the Travis County Hospital District and a DELPH Scholar, says Community Health Workers need to be empowered to advance health equity; ASTHO has a webinar focused on communicating about disease forecasting; and the 2024 National Strategy for Suicide Prevention is now available. Michigan Health and ..read more

Alex Kearly, ASTHO Director of Medicaid and Public Health Partnerships, says doula care is one of the most promising strategies to address maternal health disparities; Kay Matthews, Executive Director and Founder of the Shades of Blue Project, tells us that too often Black mothers have to choose between their mental health and basic family needs; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO Senior Director for Government Affairs, discusses a federal plan to replace lead pipes used for drinking water in this week’s View from Washington D.C. Report; and ASTHO’s latest profile of state and territorial public health is n ..read more

Anil Nair, Director for the Division of Environmental Health Epidemiology within the Department of Health in Pennsylvania, says their state is taking a deeper look at environmental justice; Dr. Dylan George, Director of the Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics at the Centers for Disease Control, tells us about a forecasting project to help communities anticipate and prepare for outbreaks; and ASTHO has two new members, Heidi Hedberg in Alaska and Dr. Douglas Harrington in Montana. ASTHO Report: How Pennsylvania Health Department’s Cross-Sector Partnerships Are Strengthening Climate an ..read more

Amber Gibbar, Health Promotion Coordinator for the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, says they have been working for years to dismantle communication barriers in retail food safety; Julia Rivera, Program Director for the Public Health AmeriCorps Centralized Call Center in Guam, tells us the benefits of launching the Public Health AmeriCorps program in Guam; ASTHO is hosting a webinar on pharmacist-prescribed contraception; and Dr. Umair Shah, Secretary of Health for the Washington State Department of Health and an ASTHO Member, honors Public Service Recognition Week. ASTHO Brief: Evidenc ..read more

Omar Khalid, ASTHO Director of Workforce, tells us about the American Nurses Foundation’s upcoming webinar, “Break Free From Burnout”; Maya Goldman, a healthcare reporter for Axios, discusses her article on the nurse workforce; and ASTHO has a policy statement on Healthy Aging and Older Adult Health. Webinar Webpage – Break Free from Burnout: Free Webinar & Interactive Q&A for Nurses & Healthcare Workers Axios News Article: Nursing workforce is becoming more diverse ASTHO Policy Statement: Healthy Aging and Older Adult Health Policy Statement ASTHO Webpage: Stay Informed   ..read more