Maggie Davis, ASTHO Director of State Health Policy, dives into ASTHO’s Legal Mapping Project which was one of the most popular resources on ASTHO’s website in 2024; and Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO's Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Relations, recaps how last year’s legislative session ended and gives an outlook for 2025 in this week’s View From Washington D.C. Report.

ASTHO Web Page: ASTHO’s Public Health Legal Mapping Center

ASTHO Web Page: ASTHO’s Most Popular Resources of 2024

Dr. Yngvild Olsen, Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment at SAMHSA, tells us about the importance of the first-ever Substance Use Disorder Treatment Month; Dr. Beverly Kingston, Director of the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, discusses the brand-new Power of One app launched in Colorado aimed at potential risk factors for youth violence; and an episode of the Public Health Review Podcast explains how your team can improve brain health with data-driven solutions.

SAMHSA Web Page: Substance Use Disorder Treatment Month

The Power of One App Web Page

ASTHO Web Page: Enhancing Brain Health with Data-Driven Solutions

ASTHO Web Page: Stay Informed

Dr. Kristy Marynak, Senior Science Advisor at the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health, details a report on tobacco-related disease and death; Dr. Jean Ko, discusses a CDC report about overdose rates involving illicitly manufactured fentanyls; and an ASTHO Blog Article focuses on the integration of race and ethnicity data into public health.

CDC Web Page: Surgeon General's Report – Eliminating Tobacco-Related Disease and Death: Addressing Disparities

CDC Web Page: Detection of Illegally Manufactured Fentanyls and Carfentanil in Drug Overdose Deaths — United States, 2021–2024

ASTHO Blog Article: Integrating Race and Ethnicity Data in Public Health – Local, State, and Territorial Insights

ASTHO Web Page: Stay Informed

Dr. Sameer Vohra, ASTHO Member and the Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, takes us through how his team is using the Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) to impact the state of Illinois.

PHIG Partners Web Page

ASTHO Blog Article: Illinois Strengthens Public Health Infrastructure with New Data Modernization Director

PHIG Partners Web Page: Illinois Director Vohra Announces Groundbreaking Public Health Workforce Transformation Initiative at Kick-Off Meeting

PHIG Newsletter

Dr. Ralph Alvarado, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health and an ASTHO Member, tells us why his team decided to create an Office of Healthy Aging; Dr. Jennifer Unger, a Professor of Population and Public Health Sciences at the University of Southern California, discusses the rise of vape devices with built-in video games; and ICF is hosting a webinar about the transformative impact of recent CMS actions on Tuesday, January 7th at Noon ET.

Tennessee Department of Health News Release: New Office of Healthy Aging Will Support Well-Being of Tennessee's Growing Population of Older Adults

Keck School of Medicine of USC News Story: Vaping devices with video games

ICF Webinar: Medicare and Medicaid move upstream to address social determinants of health

ASTHO Web Page: Stay Informed

Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Relations, tells us everything we need to know about the potential government shutdown; Ali Maffey, ASTHO Vice President of Social and Behavioral Health, outlines efforts across four jurisdictions to launch statewide firearm injury prevention surveys; and n ASTHO committee of CFOs and Senior Deputies recently met with the CDC to discuss the future.

ASTHO Web Page: Legislative Alerts

ASTHO Brief: Recommendations for Developing State Firearm Surveys and Applying Findings

ASTHO Web Page: Stay Informed

Rich Hamburg, Executive Director of the Safe States Alliance, reflects on his career in public health as he prepares to retire; Marita Chilton, Senior Director of Accreditation and Recognition at the Public Health Accreditation Board, tells us about the Vital Records and Health Statistics Reaccreditation Program; and a recent episode of the Public Health Review Podcast details how your team can work across agencies to maximize investments in the social determinants of health.

ASTHO Web Page: Joint and Affiliate Councils

Safe States Alliance News Release: Safe States Alliance Thanks Retiring Executive Director and Announces New Executive Director

Public Health Accreditation Board News Release: News PHAB Launches Reaccreditation Program for Vital Records and Health Statistics Units

Public Health Review Podcast Episode: Working Strategically Across Agencies to Maximize Investments in the Social Determinants of Health

ASTHO Web Page: Stay Informed

Allison Budzinski, ASTHO Senior Workforce Analyst, tells us small and important steps to support the public health workforce; Shane Gausepohl, Communications and Equity Coordinator for Del Norte County Public Health, explains the Community Health Education Kiosk Project that his team has undertaken; and Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, an ASTHO alum, has been named the new President and CEO of the Public Health Accreditation Board.

ASTHO Blog Article: Small Steps to Support and Compensate the Public Health Workforce

ASTHO Blog Article: Health Education Kiosks Meet Diverse Needs in California Community

Public Health Accreditation Board News Release: PHAB Names Joneigh Khaldun, MD, MPH, FACEP, As New President and CEO

ASTHO Web Page: Stay Informed

Dr. Robert Goldstein, Commissioner at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and an ASTHO Member, describes how SAPHE 2.0 will promote health equity throughout the state; Dr. Scott Harris, Alabama State Health Officer and ASTHO President, is quoted in a recent Governing article that details the rise of bird flu in dairy cattle and weighs the risk to humans; and Dr. Anne Zink, former Chief Medical Officer for the Alaska Department of Health and ASTHO’s 80th President, has been appointed as a Lecturer and Senior Fellow at the Yale School of Public Health.

Boston Globe News Article: New law aims to shore up and equalize state’s public health services

SAPHE 2.0 Fact Sheet

Governing News Article: Bird Flu Continues to Spread. What Are the Risks for Humans and Cows?

Yale School of Public Health News Release: Dr. Anne Zink Appointed as Lecturer and Senior Fellow at YSPH

Melissa Magstadt, Secretary of Health in the South Dakota Department of Health, tells us how the state is using a recently awarded maternal health innovation grant; Maggie Davis, ASTHO Director of State Health Policy, previews legislative trends for the upcoming year; and a recent Public Health Review episode explores how cloud technology, open-source tools, and data standards transform public health data systems.

South Dakota Department of Health News Release: South Dakota Department of Health Receives Maternal Health Innovation Grant to Improve Maternal Care

ASTHO Blog Article: Likely Public Health Legislative Trends for 2025

ASTHO Podcast Episode: Improving Public Health by Modernizing Data Exchange

ASTHO Web Page: Stay Informed