Public Health Review Morning Edition

Dr. Susan Kansagra, ASTHO Chief Medical Officer, provides updates on Measles and the Avian Flu; Dr. Ralph Alvarado, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health and an ASTHO Member, explains how Tennessee is building a better healthcare system for older Americans; on May 22nd, ASTHO’s next INSPIRE: Readiness webinar focused on data-ready ecosystems will take place; and Dr. Puthiery Va, ASTHO Member and the Maine CDC Director, recently spoke about youth mental health at an event. Older Americans Month Web Page Tennessee Web Page: Department of Disability and Aging Tennessee Department of Health Web Page: Office of Healthy Aging ASTHO Webinar: INSPIRE – Readiness – Building a Data-Ready Ecosystem for Public Health Response  

Dr. Sameer Vohra, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health and an ASTHO Member, tells us why his department wanted to create a dashboard focused on measles; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO Senior Director of Government Affairs, recaps a busy few weeks on Capitol Hill in this week’s View From Washington D.C. Report; and Dr. Ralph Alvarado, ASTHO Member and Tennessee Commissioner of Health, and ASTHO Alum Dr. Georges Benjamin, will give commencement speeches at the Meharry Medical College. Illinois Department of Public Health News Release: IDPH Rolls Out New Measles Simulator Dashboard to Empower School Officials to Protect Students and Staff from Outbreaks Meharry Medical College Web Page: Commencement Speakers ASTHO Web Page: Subscribe  

Alex Karydi, State and Territory Initiatives Director at the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, details a recent assessment from SPRC that looked at the ability of states and territories to prevent suicide successfully; Emily Lapayowker, ASTHO’s Assistant Director of Web, uses Global Accessibility Awareness Day to explain why digital access and inclusion are so important; publichealthcareers.org might be where you find your next great hire; and ASTHO Alum, Dr. Umair Shah, received an award from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Suicide Prevention Resource Center Web Page: State and Territorial Suicide Prevention Needs Assessment Homepage Suicide Prevention Resource Center Web Page: State Suicide Prevention Infrastructure Recommendations Global Accessibility Awareness Day Web Page ASTHO Brief: Website Accessibility – Enhancing Access to COVID-19 Vaccine Registration and Beyond PublicHealthCareers.org  

Brittany Giles-Cantrell, Program Director at the de Beaumont Foundation, tells us why de Beaumont’s 40 Under 40 in Public Health program is so valuable; Catherine Jones, ASTHO Government Affairs Senior Analyst, tells us her journey to ASTHO in this week’s “Get to Know ASTHO” segment; an interactive ASTHO tool compiles data to help your health agency in identifying measures for your suicide prevention programs; and ASTHO’s “Strengthening Administrative Preparedness” webinar will dive into everything you need to know for public health agency preparedness. de Beaumont Foundation Web Page: 40 Under 40 in Public Health – Nominations ASTHO Web Page: Suicide Indicator Tool ASTHO Webinar: Strengthening Administrative Preparedness in Public Health Agencies  

Esther Muña, Chief Executive Officer of the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation and Territorial Health Official for the Northern Mariana Islands, explains how their Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) funds allowed them to improve security and integrate care through a new electronic health record system; Jerry Larkin, Director of the Department of Health of Rhode Island, describes how PHIG has been an asset to his department in preventing illness and enabling advancements; Jacki Tulafono, Division Head for the Department of Health in American Samoa, shares how PHIG dollars support key functions at their agency, allowing them to provide services to those that need it most. PHIG Partners Web Page PHIG Newsletter

Rita Condon, Program Manager for obesity, nutrition, and physical activity with the Department of Health in New Mexico, discusses the agency’s annual child obesity update and the new initiatives in place to promote healthy eating; Andy Baker-White, Senior Director for State Health Policy at ASTHO, reports a new legislative trend of banning certain food dyes and additives in states across the country; ASTHO’s INSPIRE Readiness webinar on the importance of regional data in decision-making takes place May 22nd; Dr. Anne Zink, ASTHO past president and former Alaska State Health Officer, was appointed to the Steering Committee for the Vaccine Integrity Project. New Mexico Childhood Obesity 2024 Report ASTHO: States Moving to Prohibit Additives and Dyes in Food ASTHO: INSPIRE: Readiness - Building a Data-Ready Ecosystem for Public Health Response Vaccine Integrity Project

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s new Health and Environment Laboratories improve the state's ability to respond to disease outbreaks and health threats; Get to know Catherine Murphy; the impact of the Public Health AmeriCorps program at the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services; the Pennsylvania Department of Health celebrates 120 years; and the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation of the Northern Mariana Islands has been awarded a 2025 Network of Practice Grant from the Bloomberg American Health Initiative.   New Kansas Health & Environment Laboratories AmeriCorps in Action: Strengthening Public Health in Iowa PA Department of Health Celebrates 120 Years of Service The Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation of the Northern Mariana Islands awarded a 2025 Network of Practice Grant

Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, Chief Medical Executive for the state of Michigan, explains the state’s Public Health Data Dashboard, which visualizes public health trends by district and helps to shape awareness of public health’s role in the community; David Stone, Accreditation Analyst at ASTHO, discusses the importance of accreditation and ASTHO’s guide to sustaining efforts across health departments; Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO President and State Health Officer for Alabama, appeared on a recent Public Health on Call podcast; Dr. Nirav Shah, former ASTHO President and former Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, will give the commencement address at the University of Maine in Farmington; ASTHO will host an event being an effective crisis communicator Thursday, May 8th. Michigan’s Public Health Data Dashboard  ASTHO: A Guide for Sustainable Public Health Accreditation Podcast: A Conversation with Alabama’s State Health Officer ASTHO: Don’t Panic: A Panel on How to be an Effective Crisis Communicator UMF Announces Dr. Nirav Shah as Commencement Speaker  

Dr. Alex Walley, professor of medicine at the Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, addresses the opioid overdose crisis and community engagement, topics at the Rhode Island’s Community Overdose Engagement (CODE) Summit; Sean Graham, Deputy Director of Emergency Preparedness for the State of Georgia Department of Public Health, discusses the importance of radiological preparedness; ASTHO resources for Mental Health Awareness Month; Dr. Victor Ramos Otero, Secretary of Health for the Puerto Rico Department of Health, honored at the 11th Preventive Health and Immunization Congress for his leadership and accomplishments. Rhode Island’s Community Overdose Engagement (CODE) Initiative and Summit National Alliance for Radiation Readiness ASTHO: Public Health’s Role in Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention Victor Ramos Otero, MD, Puerto Rico Department of Health  

Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO Senior Director for Government Affairs, explains how he came to ASTHO and how his team provides value for members; Vish Viswanath, Professor of Health Communication and Population Sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, explains how an upcoming ASTHO webinar will prepare you to be a better crisis communicator; the Association of Immunization Managers, is celebrating its 25-year anniversary; and Jeff Brown, Acting Commissioner of Health for the State of New Jersey, is ASTHO’s newest member. ASTHO Webinar: Don't Panic! A Panel on How to be an Effective Crisis Communicator Association of Immunization Managers Web Page: AIM 2024 Annual Report ASTHO Web Page: New Jersey | Jeff Brown