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

Dr. Debra Bogen, Secretary of Health for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and an ASTHO Member, discusses ASTHO’s Maternal and Childhood Health Legislative Prospectus; Dr. Tina Tan, President of the Infectious Disease Society of America, tells us how public health can push back against pertussis; an ASTHO blog article explores how mathematical models and forecasts predict outbreaks and guide public health decisions; and ASTHO Member Dr. Betsy Tilson was awarded the Public Service Award from the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians.

ASTHO Web Page: Supporting Maternal and Child Health Across All Stages of Life

NBC News Article: Whooping cough spikes, especially among unvaccinated teens

ASTHO Blog Article: Defining Disease Forecasting and Modeling

Lindsey Myers, ASTHO Vice President for Public Health Workforce and Infrastructure, discusses the need to bolster the public health workforce to better serve everyone; Dr. Georges Benjamin, Executive Director of the American Public Health Association, recaps the annual APHA meeting; ASTHO’s Omar Khalid was recently featured on an episode of “Public Health Live!”; and an ASTHO blog article details more ways to support your workforce.

ASTHO Web Page: Strengthening the Public Health and Healthcare Workforce

American Public Health Association Web Page: APHA 2024

Public Health Live! Episode: Trauma Responsive Leadership for the Public Health Workforce

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

Dr. Robert Goldstein, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and an ASTHO Member,  discusses the containment and prevention of the spread of infectious disease as part of ASTHO’s Legislative Prospectus Series; Allyson Belton, Director of Education and Training for the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine and a Co-Lead of ASTHO Divers Executives Leading in Public Health program, looks back on how far the program has come as the fifth cohort kicks off; and ASTHO’s newest member is Gina DeBlassie, the Interim Cabinet Secretary for the New Mexico Department of Health.

ASTHO Web Page: 2025 Legislative Prospectus Series

ASTHO Web Page: Diverse Executives Leading in Public Health

ASTHO Web Page: Gina DeBlassie

ASTHO Web Page: Stay Informed

Dr. Scott Harris, State Health Officer for the Alabama Department of Public Health and the ASTHO President, tells us exactly how his state has benefited from PHIG.

Public Health Infrastructure Grant Web Page

ASTHO Blog Article: PHIG – A Transformative Infrastructure Grant for Health Equity and Inclusive Workforces

PHIG Newsletter

Dr. James McDonald, Commissioner of the New York State Department of Health, discusses substance misuse and overdose prevention as part of ASTHO’s Legislative Prospectus series; Dr. Lindsey Kato, Director for the Division of Public Health with the State of Alaska, tells us about the journey for accreditation from the Public Health Accreditation Board; and PHIG has its own newsletter now.

ASTHO Web Page: Substance Misuse and Overdose Prevention

ASTHO Blog Article: Alaska Division of Public Health’s Accreditation Success

PHIG Newsletter

Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO Senior Director for Government Affairs, tells us what to expect from Congress as the year wraps up; Dr. Brendan Jackson, Director of the Office of Readiness, Response, and Operations for the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, discusses the current state of respiratory virus season as we wrap up National Influenza Vaccination Week; and ASTHO has compiled a number of evidence-based technical packages for your use.

ASTHO Web Page: Stay Informed

CDC Web Page: About National Influenza Vaccination Week

ASTHO Web Page: Evidence-Based Public Health

Dr. Sameer Vohra, Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, emphasizes the importance of gathering data in Public Health to react to any issues as we continue ASTHO’s Legislative Prospectus Series; Debra Johnson, the Director of the Strategy and Transformation Management Office at the Oklahoma State Department of Health and Rachel Klein, the Director of the Office of Communications at the Oklahoma State Department of Health, tell us about their communications revamp journey; and ASTHO’s PH-HERO Workforce Resource Center can help your workforce.

ASTHO Web Page: Modernizing Public Health Data and Protecting Privacy

ASTHO Blog Article: Strengthening Public Health Communication – Oklahoma’s Strategy and Lessons Learned

ASTHO Web Page: PH-HERO Workforce Resource Center

ASTHO Web Page: Stay Informed

Dr. Joseph Kanter, ASTHO CEO, gives us an overview of what to expect from ASTHO’s annual Legislative Prospectus Series; ASTHO’s INSPIRE: Readiness Series can help you foster innovation in your public health systems; and learn all about PHIG by signing up for the new PHIG newsletter.

ASTHO News Release: ASTHO Unveils Top Five State Public Health Policy Issues to Watch in 2025

ASTHO Web Page: 2025 Legislative Prospectus Series

ASTHO Web Page: Fostering Innovation in Public Health Systems

PHIG Newsletter

ASTHO Web Page: Stay Informed

David Harvey, Executive Director of the National Coalition of STD Directors and the ASTHO Affiliate Council Chair, tells us how the ASTHO Affiliate Council assists public health; Patrick Allen, former Secretary of the New Mexico Department of Health, explains how a renewed public health order will lead to more syphilis testing; and a new ASTHO brief outlines several recommendations for developing state firearm surveys.

National Coalition of STD Directors Web Page

ASTHO Web Page: Joint and Affiliate Councils

New Mexico Department of Health News Release: Renewed public health order targets congenital syphilis uptick

ASTHO Web Page: Recommendations for Developing State Firearm Surveys and Applying Findings

ASTHO Web Page: Stay Informed