Public Health Review Morning Edition

Dr. Stephen Lee, Executive Director of the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, shares advice for building public health programs for the LGBTQ+ community; Heather Pangelinan, Director of Public Health Services at Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation, says the DELPH program helped her strengthen her advocacy; Wayne Cascio, the EPA Director of the Center for Public Health and Environmental Assessment, explains how to prepare for wildfire smoke; and ASTHO is hiring in multiple positions. EPA: Wildfires and Smoke Air Now: Be Smoke Ready ASTHO Webpage: Careers

Dr. Jonathan Mermin, Director of the CDC National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, shares how public health can better address the STI epidemic; ASTHO Alum Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Immediate Past Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health and President and CEO of Sinai Chicago, explains why communication is a priority in public health; Melanie Highland, Director of the Division of Senior and Disability Services at Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, explains how the Alzheimer's Task Force is working to support Alzheimer's patients and caregivers; and an ASTHO webinar happening June 21st features discussion on partnerships role in improving vaccine uptake. Daily Journal: Alzheimer's Task Force gives recommendations Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services: Alzheimer's State Plan Task Force ASTHO Webinar: Partnerships for Progress: An Intro to the Vaccine Equity Project

Avia Mason, ASTHO Vice President of Leadership and Organizational Performance, explains the significance of the 2023 DELPH cohort; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO Senior Director of Government Affairs, says public health emergency preparedness, data infrastructure, and more were topics on Capitol Hill this week; Dr. Kimberlee Wyche Etheridge, ASTHO Senior Vice President of Health Equity and Diversity Initiatives, encourages public health officials to commemorate Juneteenth; and there is an upcoming ASTHO webinar on strengthening the public health workforce. ASTHO Webpage: ASTHO Scholars Program Helps Grow Diverse Public Health Leaders ASTHO Webpage: Health Equity Policy Toolkit ASTHO Webpage: Health Equity ASTHO Webpage: Meet Public Health AmeriCorps: A Pipeline for Public Health Workforce

Dr. Edward Ehlinger, former chair of the HHS Advisory Committee on Infant and Maternal Mortality, says public health needs to look beyond numbers to best serve American Indian and Alaska Native mothers and their babies; Dr. Kimberlee Wyche-Etheridge, ASTHO Senior Vice President of Health Equity and Diversity Initiatives, explains why it's important to have an RSV vaccine available to pregnant women; Alice Schenall, Director of Cross-Sector Leadership and Facilitation for ASTHO, outlines an ASTHO blog on the Boundary Spanning Leadership Workshops; and ASTHO hosts a panel discussion on phasing out commercial tobacco products. ASTHO Webpage: Boundary Spanning Leadership Workshops ASTHO Panel Discussion: Building State Readiness for the Tobacco Endgame HHS Advisory Committee on Infant and Maternal Mortality: Making Amends: Recommended Strategies and Actions to Improve the Health and Safety of American Indian and Alaska Native Mothers and Infants

Dr. Susan Polan, Associate Executive Director for Public Affairs and Advocacy with the American Public Health Association, says the Policy Action Institute meeting will help public health officials address challenges; Dr. Brannon Traxler, Director of Public Health for the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, reflects on the need for modernizing public health data systems; an ASTHO webinar series addresses youth mental health; and Public Health Review: Morning Edition earned a Bronze Anvil Award of Commendation Trophy from the Public Relations Society of America. APHA: Policy Action Institute Policy Action Institute: Registration ASTHO Webinar Series: Leveraging Different Sectors to Address the Youth Mental Health Crisis

Dr. Brooke Cunningham, Commissioner of Health for the Minnesota Department of Health, says public health leaders must review place-based metrics to understand health inequities; register for ASTHO's virtual TechXpo on June 15th; Janet Hui, Senior Director of Public Health Data Modernization and Informatics at ASTHO, says TechXpo gives public health officials a chance to engage in peer-to-peer discussions about technology; diverse leaders reflect on influence in a new ASTHO blog article; and a new ASTHO webinar explains a tool to help agencies measure suicide prevention programs. ASTHO TechXpo: Virtual Edition Minnpost: The role of data in achieving health equity in Minnesota ASTHO Webpage: Defining the Power of Influence for Public Health Leaders ASTHO Webinar: Showcase of the Suicide Prevention Indicator Explorer

JoAnne McClure, ASTHO Senior Analyst for State Health Policy, details a new report written to help public health leaders address rising rates of congenital syphilis; Alex Kearly, ASTHO's Director of Medicaid and Value-Based Payment, breaks down recent direction from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regarding social services and Medicaid dollars; an ASTHO blog article highlights the importance of proper leadership strategies when building a high-performing team; and a virtual edition of ASTHO's Public Health TechXpo and Futures Forum is set for June 15th. ASTHO Report: Policy Considerations for Reducing Congenital Syphilis ASTHO Blog Article: Addressing Health-Related Social Needs through 1115 Demonstrations ASTHO Blog Article: Three Key Leadership Strategies for Building a High-Performing Team ASTHO Webpage: TechXpo and Futures Forum Registration

Dr. Heather Strosnider, Customer Success and Engagement Lead for the CDC's Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology, says the Data Modernization Initiative is pivotal to advancing public health; ASTHO has planned a bonus event for those who attended TechXpo in Chicago or online scheduled for June 15th; and Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO's Senior Director for Government Affairs, discusses the public health workforce being the focus of a Congressional briefing this week on Capitol Hill. CDC Webpage: Data Modernization Initiative ASTHO Webpage: Public Health TechXpo and Futures Forum

Dr. Janelle Palacios, a member of the Advisory Committee on Infant and Maternal Mortality, says there is an urgent need to improve health outcomes for American Indian and Alaska Native mothers and their babies; Julia Greenspan, ASTHO Director of Infectious Disease Infrastructure and Policy, worries about rising rates of STIs in the country, but looks to policy for solutions; and Dr. Nizar Wehbi, North Dakota's State Health Officer, outlines the state's plan to become the healthiest state in the nation. Advisory Committee on Infant and Maternal Mortality Report: Making Amends – Recommended Strategies and Actions to Improve the Health and Safety of American Indian and Alaska Native Mothers and Infants ASTHO Report: Policy Considerations for Reducing Congenital Syphilis ASTHO Webpage: Innovative STD Prevention and Treatment Strategies ASTHO Webpage: Reducing STI Stigma Through Inclusive Care Strategies ASTHO Webpage: Stay Informed

Annie Evans, ASTHO's Director of Preparedness and Disability Integration, previews an article she wrote for the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice about disability inclusion in health agencies; Carter Blakey, Deputy Director of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion in the United States Department of Health and Human Services, explains why ASTHO is a Healthy People 2030 Champion; and the Florida Department of Health has developed an algorithm to automate syphilis lab result processing. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice Article: Practicing Disability Inclusion in Health Agencies ASTHO Brief: 10 Essential Questions for Disability Inclusion in Health Agencies ASTHO News Release: ASTHO Recognized as a Healthy People 2030 Champion for Promoting Well-Being Across Lifespan ASTHO Brief: Automated Syphilis Electronic Laboratory Processing – Effectively and Accurately Identifying Priority Syphilis Cases