Public Health Review Morning Edition

Catherine Jones, Senior Analyst of Government Affairs at ASTHO, breaks down what states need to know about the application for the Rural Health Transformation Program, and discusses ASTHO’s recent partnership with Cornerstone Government Affairs to host two expert panels on the subject; Dr. Lena Heilmann, Director of the Colorado Office of Suicide Prevention with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, shares the strategies her state employed to achieve the lowest youth suicide rate in Colorado since 2007; on October 7th, PHIG Partners will hold an informational Q&A session for agencies interested in applying to Wave 2 of the Public Health Data Modernization Implementation Center Program; and take a trip through the show’s past in celebration of today’s 1000th episode.  ASTHO Blog: Federal, State, and Stakeholder Perspectives on the Rural Health Transformation Fund Colorado Dept of Public Health and Environment: Youth Suicide Rate in Colorado Drops to Lowest Level since 2007, CDPHE Committed to Ensuring Trend Continues ASTHO Blog: Public Health Approaches to Preventing Suicide and Promoting Mental Well-Being ASTHO Report: Public Health's Role in Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention ASTHO Legal Mapping Center: Suicide Prevention Offices and Committees Legal Map PHIG Partners: Public Health Data Modernization IC Program Wave 2 Q&A (Session 2)  

Halina Palacios, Chief Operations Officer for Population Health at the Commonwealth Health Care Corporation in the territory of the Northern Mariana Islands, discusses a recent population health summit specifically for pacific public health teams; Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO’s Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Relations, breaks down how the potential government shutdown could impact access to public health funds in this week’s View From Washington, D.C. report; a new ASTHO Health Policy Update focused on Primary Care Offices explores new strategies for data-sharing; and a new Learning Series on the United States Territories and Freely Associated States is now open for enrollment on ASTHO’s website.  ASTHO Blog Article: Population Health Summit Strengthens Pacific Partnership ASTHO Health Policy Update: Data-Sharing Strategies to Support Access to Care Interventions ASTHO Learning Series: A Learning Series on the United States Territories and Freely Associated States ASTHO Health Policy Update: Data-Sharing Strategies to Support Access to Care Interventions ASTHO Learning Series: A Learning Series on the United States Territories and Freely Associated States  

Kim Martin, Director of Infectious Diseases at ASTHO, recaps the recent ACIP meeting that took place and discusses the conversation’s potential impacts on public health; Veronica Bryant, Emergency Preparedness and Outbreak Coordinator for the Environmental Health section of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, shares how her state strengthened its extreme weather emergency preparedness following a series of hurricanes; on October 29th, ASTHO will host Part I of its new webinar series on how to enhance an environmental health response during extreme weather events; and ASTHO welcomes new member Dr. Mark McDaniel, State Health Officer for West Virginia.  ASTHO Webinar: Weathering the Storm: The Importance of Environmental Health Preparedness and Response Part I CDC: Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Mark McDaniel Bio  

Maria Courogen, Executive Director for the Center for Access to Whole Person Care at the Washington State Department of Health, explains how her state worked to enable the continued support of Community Health Workers (CHWs) by developing a sustainable funding model; Dr. Heather Krasna, Associate Dean of Career and Professional Development at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, breaks down the nuances of applying to governmental public health roles and discusses ASTHO’s checklist resource, which walks applicants through the process; today is the third session of ASTHO’s Public Health Nursing Workforce Learning Lab series focused on public health nursing residency programs and leadership pathways; and ASTHO President-Elect Manisha Juthani, Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health, and ASTHO alum Dr. Umair Shah, will participate on a panel at Health Systems Implementing Climate Action, a Climate Week NYC 2025 event.  ASTHO Web Page: Community Health Workers ASTHO Resource: Your Guide to Navigating the Governmental Public Health Job Search Process ASTHO Webinar: Public Health Nursing Workforce Learning Lab - A Series Climate Week NYC 2025: Health Systems Implementing Climate Action  

Andy Baker-White, ASTHO’s Senior Director for State Health Policy, provides an update on the legislative actions states are taking across the country to ensure continued vaccination access within their jurisdictions; Captain Artensie Flowers, Director of the Division of Regional Operations with the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), discusses the in-person workshop that ASPR hosted in partnership with ASTHO to help ASPR’s regional teams and state and territorial public health leaders enhance preparedness during public health emergencies; ASTHO welcomes new member Sherry Adams, North Dakota’s recently appointed State Health Officer; and sign up for ASTHO’s legislative alerts to stay informed about any legislative or policy movements that affect public health.  ASTHO Web Page: State Health Policy ASTHO Web Page: Public Health Preparedness Sherry Adams Bio ASTHO Web Page: Legislative Alerts  

Dr. Joseph Kanter, CEO of ASTHO, joined Dr. J. Nadine Gracia, President and CEO of Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), Rhea Faberman, Director of Strategic Communications and Policy at TFAH, and Lori Freeman, CEO of NACCHO, during a recent briefing about TFAH’s report that details the impact of CDC funding on public health; Madelyn Maxwell, Healthy Aging and Falls Prevention Project Coordinator for the Oklahoma State Department of Health Injury Prevention Service, shares how her state is working to engage communities in prevention efforts during Falls Prevention Awareness Week; the final session of ASTHO’s Succession Planning webinar series with a focus on putting plans into action takes place October 2nd; the highlights from last month’s Public Health Infrastructure Grant Annual Recipient Convening are available online now; and CDC has issued a Health Alert Network Health Advisory about a new outbreak of Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  TFAH Report: Public Health Infrastructure in Crisis: HHS Workforce Cuts, Reorganizations, and Funding Reductions: Impacts and Solutions National Council on Aging: The 2025 National Falls Prevention Action Plan ASTHO Report: Expanding Falls Prevention Through Surveillance, Community-Clinical Linkages, and Strategic Planning and Evaluation ASTHO Blog: Strengthening Policies to Prevent Older Adult Falls ASTHO Webinar: Succession Planning Part 3 of 3: Putting the Plan into Action PHIG Partners: 2025 PHIG Convening Builds Stronger Connections, Inspires Action, and Advances Data Modernization CDC Health Alert Network: Ebola Outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo  

JW Randolph, Deputy Commissioner at the Tennessee Department of Health, shares how his state’s new Office for Healthy Aging has been successful in coordinating statewide efforts to care for Tennessee’s aging communities; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO’s Senior Director for Government Affairs, provides an update on funding for the federal government in this week’s View From Washington, D.C. report; part three of the Public Health Nursing Learning Lab Series takes place next week on September 24th, at 3:00 p.m. ET, which will focus on residency programs and leadership pathways; a recent ASTHO blog article details  the North Dakota Lead Prevention Program and how the state strengthened its coordination with tribal health officials; and congratulations to ASTHO alum Doctor John Armstrong, former Surgeon General and Secretary of Health for the state of Florida, for his reelection as Vice Speaker of the American Medical Association House of Delegates. ASTHO Web Page: Healthy Aging and Brain Health Tennessee Dept of Health: Office of Healthy Aging ASTHO Legislative Alert: Summary of FY26 Continuing Resolution ASTHO Webinar: Public Health Nursing Workforce Learning Lab - A Series ASTHO Blog: North Dakota Lead Exposure Outreach Program Bio: John H. Armstrong, MD  

Shalini Nair, Senior Analyst of Infectious Disease at ASTHO, tells public health professionals everything they need to know about New World Screwworm (NWS), and what to do if their state experiences a case; Maggie Nilz, Senior Analyst of Preparedness at ASTHO, shares information from a new Health Policy Update on public health preparedness for extreme weather events; up to four states have the opportunity to host a two-day, in-person wastewater surveillance training opportunity, and the deadline to apply is September 19th; the latest edition of the DELPH Magazine is out, providing health officials with new information about the Developing Executive Leaders in Public Health program; and next Thursday, September 25th at 2:00 p.m. ET is the second session of the Activate series in the Ignite, Accelerate and Activate workshop, which will focus on improving emotional intelligence.   ASTHO Blog: New World Screwworm Insights and Action Steps ASTHO Health Policy Update: State Policy Advances in Extreme Weather Preparedness ASTHO Web Page: Ethical Analysis for Infectious Disease Wastewater Surveillance Training Opportunity ASTHO Web Page: DELPH Magazine  ASTHO Webinar: Ignite, Accelerate, and Activate: Series 3, Session 2: Improving Emotional Intelligence  

Dr. Susan Kansagra, Chief Medical Officer at ASTHO, discusses updates to federal health initiatives that continue to impact public health agencies, including the latest report from the Make America Health Again Commission and recent activity regarding vaccines; Tiffany Day, Public Health Specialist with the Henry County Health Department in Ohio, previews what she’ll discuss as a speaker during ASTHO’s Succession Planning webinar session tomorrow, and highlights how succession planning can enhance the existing public health workforce; it’s Telehealth Awareness Week and ASTHO’s resource page has everything your department needs to expand its telehealth initiatives; and applications are now open for the second cohort of the Leadership Exchange for Adolescent Health Promotion Plus Community of Practice, which can help health agencies advance health education.  U.S. Dept of HHS: MAHA Commission Unveils Sweeping Strategy to Make Our Children Healthy Again U.S. Dept of HHS: CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to Meet September 18-19 ASTHO Blog: Levers for Preventing Chronic Disease That Intersect with Key MAHA Report Themes ASTHO Web Page: Telehealth ASTHO Webinar: Succession Planning Part 2 of 3: Laying the Groundwork ASTHO Web Page: Leadership Exchange for Adolescent Health Promotion Plus (LEAHP+) Community of Practice Cohort 2  

In today's installment of the PHIG Impact Report, Dr. Edward Simmer, ASTHO member and the Interim Director of the South Carolina Department of Public Health, discusses how his department is using the Public Health Infrastructure Grant. PHIG Partners Web Page PHIG Newsletter