Public Health Review Morning Edition

ASTHO President Dr. Anne Zink, Chief Medical Officer for the State of Alaska, says policy is the biggest challenge facing public health data modernization; Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO's Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Relations, explains the Senate's Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill for 2024. ASTHO: Public Health Data Modernization Policy Statement

Victoria Pless, ASTHO's Assistant Director of Social and Behavioral Health, explains recommendations states can use to reduce overdoses; Stephany Strahle, with ASTHO's Family and Child Health team, says updating public health surveillance systems to include diverse data can better address the root of inequities; and sign up for ASTHO's legislative alert emails. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice: Reducing Overdose Through Policy Interventions: ASTHO's Recommendations for State and Territorial Health Officials and Agencies ASTHO Webpage: Linking Datasets to Address Racial Equity in Maternal and Child Health Outcomes ASTHO Webpage: Legislative Alerts

Melissa Magstadt, Cabinet Secretary for the South Dakota Department of Health, says healthcare must meet patients where they live; Ali Maffey, ASTHO's Vice President of Social and Behavioral Health, explains approaches to making mental healthcare more accessible; Adrianna Evans, ASTHO's Director of Preparedness and Disability Integration, shares the award-winning Disability and Preparedness Specialist Program which aimed to promote inclusivity for people with disabilities; ASTHO is hiring a Vice President of Finance; and an ASTHO blog explains Rhode Island's success in raising their Full Time Employee cap. South Dakota Department of Health: Immunizations & Vaccinations White House Fact Sheet: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Takes Action to Make it Easier to Access In-Network Mental Health Care ASTHO Webpage: ASTHO Earns Two National Awards for Public Health Program Innovation ASTHO Webpage: Careers at ASTHO ASTHO Webpage: Workforce Policy Spotlight: Successfully Raising FTE Caps in Rhode Island

Geetika Nadkarni, ASTHO's Director of Chronic Infectious Disease, shares the award-winning Partnering for Vaccine Equity project which aims to increase vaccinations among diverse communities; Meredith Sussman, Vaccine Equity Project Coordinator for the Palmetto Community Action Partnership, says the vaccine equity project has made new collaboration possible; Kai Tao, Co-founder and Principal of Impact and Innovation for Illinois Contraceptive Access Now; and sign up for ASTHO's Public Health Weekly email newsletters. ASTHO Webpage: Partnering with Community Action Agencies Can Improve Trust in Vaccines Palmetto Community Action Partnership ASTHO Webpage: Connecting Your Communities to Family Planning Coverage ASTHO Webpage: Public Health Weekly email newsletters

Adrianna Evans, ASTHO's Director of Preparedness and Disability Integration, outlines how public health ethics committees help guide preparedness; Kurell Julien, Associate Director of Equity, Inclusion and Justice at Business for Social Responsibility, calls for ongoing support for equity work; ASTHO earned two national awards from The American Society of Association Executives; and ASTHO has a new webinar on access to emergency contraception. ASTHO Webpage: ASTHO Earns Two National Awards for Public Health Program Innovation ASTHO Webpage: Leveraging State Health Departments to Improve Access to Emergency Contraception

Alison Maffey, ASTHO's Vice President of Social and Behavioral Health, explains the impact of President Biden's proposed rule to make it easier to access in-network mental health care; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO's Senior Director of Government Affairs, walks through federal spending on public health ahead of Congressional August recess; ASTHO has a new virtual food safety inspection guide; and ASTHO has a blog article on the updated FDA Food Code. White House Fact Sheet: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Takes Action to Make it Easier to Access In-Network Mental Health Care ASTHO Webpage: Virtual Food Safety Inspection Guide ASTHO Webpage: The Importance of the FDA Food Code FDA: Food Code

J.T. Lane, ASTHO's Senior Vice President for Population Health and Innovation, explains recommendations to improve public health data systems; Brittany Lee, ASTHO's Director of Family and Child Health, says public health education will play a role in accessing new over the counter contraceptive Opill; an ASTHO webinar explains how to use PRAMS data; and a new ASTHO blog article outlines how public health can support the mental health of young children and their caregivers. ASTHO Webpage: Public Health Data Modernization Policy Statement FDA: FDA Approves First Nonprescription Daily Oral Contraceptive ASTHO Webinar: Don't Wait, Validate: Estimating Population Outcomes with PRAMS ASTHO Webpage: Supporting Positive Mental Health in Early Childhood

Dr. Thomas Dobbs, ASTHO Alum and Dean of the John D. Bower School of Population Health at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, says growth is needed in public health to be prepared for the next pandemic; Raymond Neal, Project Director at Human Impact Partners, says health equity strategies need to become standard process; ASTHO has a toolkit to help agencies better prepare for power outages that impact life support users; and ASTHO is hiring multiple positions. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice: Preparing for the Next Pandemic or Public Health Crisis Human Impact Partners ASTHO Webpage: Introducing New Approaches to Enhance Power Outage Support for Life Support Users ASTHO Webpage: Careers at ASTHO

Andy Baker White, ASTHO's Senior Director of State Health Policy, outlines three new policy recommendations on Public Health Legal Authority; Dr. Georgina Peacock, the Director of the Immunization Services Division in the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC, says vaccine coverage among kindergarten children is at a decade low; an ASTHO blog explains how Rhode Island was able to add 28 permanent staff positions; and sign up for ASTHO's Public Health Weekly email newsletters. ASTHO Webpage: Public Health Legal Authority to Prevent and Mitigate the Spread of Communicable and Infectious Diseases and Other Public Health Threats CDC: Back to School with Routine Vaccines ASTHO Webpage: Workforce Policy Spotlight: Successfully Raising FTE Caps in Rhode Island ASTHO Webpage: Public Health Weekly email newsletters

Omar Khalid, ASTHO's Director of Workforce, explains new strategies for enhancing workforce well-being and retention; Brianna Gorman, ASTHO's Clinical to Community Connections team member, says community health workers are a key connection between policy interventions and what's happening on the ground; and sign up for ASTHO's Public Health Weekly email newsletters. ASTHO Webpage: PH-HERO Workforce Resource Center Journal of Public Health Management and Practice: Strategies for Enhancing Governmental Public Health Workforce Well-being and Retention ASTHO Webpage: State Policies Bolster Investment in Community Health Workers ASTHO Webpage: Public Health Weekly email newsletters