Dr. Brooke Cunningham, ASTHO Member and Health Commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Health, reflects on the importance of using policy to achieve racial equity; Dr. Priti Patel, Acting Director of the Office of Science in the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at CDC, discusses a new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine that considers the public health role in the response to long COVID; and an ASTHO report examines the benefits of verbal screening when treating people using two or more substances during pregnancy.

American Journal of Preventive Medicine Webpage: The Role of U.S. Public Health Agencies in Addressing Long COVID

ASTHO Report: Polysubstance Use During Pregnancy and the Benefits of Universal Verbal Screening

ASTHO Webpage: Stay Informed

Dr. Robert Goldstein, ASTHO Member and Commissioner for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, discusses a new report that shows Massachusetts overdose deaths remain near record highs; Jessica Baggett, ASTHO Senior Advisor for Public Health Response, outlines a report about the role of public health in the response to long COVID; and Mike Fraser, ASTHO CEO, and  Dr. Brian Castrucci, de Beaumont Foundation President and CEO, will team up to review key skills everyone needs to succeed in public health in an upcoming webinar.

Massachusetts Department of Public Health News Release: Massachusetts public health officials release latest opioid-related overdose reports

American Journal of Preventative Medicine Webpage: The Role of U.S. Public Health Agencies in Addressing Long COVID

ASTHO Webpage: Building Strategic Skills for Better Health: A Primer for Public Health Professionals

ASTHO Webinar: Lunch and Learn – Building Strategic Skills for Public Health Professionals

ASTHO Webpage: Stay Informed

Dr. Danielle Ofri, Clinical Professor of Medicine at New York University School of Medicine, tells us some patients still have concerns about COVID-19 vaccines; Jessica Bissett, ASTHO Senior Analyst for Social and Behavioral Health, discusses several steps Colorado has taken to promote housing security; an ASTHO webinar will teach attendees how to build and retain a strong clerical workforce; and an ASTHO webinar will review new guidance on how to respond within the first 72 hours after a nuclear detonation.

Danielle Ofri Webpage

ASTHO Blog: Policies Supporting Young Families Can Reduce Adverse Childhood Experiences

The New York Times Opinion Article: My Patients Used to Be Enthusiastic About the Covid Vaccine. What Changed?

ASTHO Webinar: Planning For the First 72 Hours

ASTHO Webinar: The Frontline Advantage – Discovering and Developing a Frontline Clerical Workforce

Dr. Carolyn Wester, Director of the Division of Viral Hepatitis at the CDC, says the CDC has a plan to increase access to the diagnosis and treatment resources for Hepatitis C; Tim Henderson, a Reporter for Stateline, explains how wastewater testing was considered a reliable way to track community outbreaks during the COVID-19 pandemic; ASTHO has designed a toolkit showing agencies how to leverage the Healthy People 2030 process to build non-traditional partnerships; and an ASTHO report discusses how Pennsylvania agencies work together on environmental justice issues.

CDC Webpage: Hepatitis C Surveillance 2021

HHS Webpage: Launching a National Hepatitis C Elimination Program in the United States

CDC Webpage: Testing Recommendations for Hepatitis C Virus Infection

CDC Webpage: Hepatitis C Questions and Answers for Health Professionals

CDC Webpage: Professional Resources

Stateline News Article: Wastewater tests show COVID infections surging, but pandemic fatigue limits precautions

ASTHO Toolkit: Leveraging Healthy People 2030 to Build Non-Traditional Multisector Partnerships

ASTHO Report: How Pennsylvania Health Department’s Cross-Sector Partnerships Are Strengthening Climate and Environmental Justice

Dr. Molly Dickens, Founder and Director of the Maternal Stress Project, discusses the ways maternal health is impacted by stress linked to childcare; Edolem Ikerdeu, Chief for the Division of Primary and Preventive Health Services at the Palau Ministry of Health and Human Services, says they are rethinking their approach to community screening clinics for heart disease and stroke; an ASTHO Blog Article details the groundbreaking work Palau has done to develop a series of health equity indicators; and an ASTHO blog article explains that achieving health equity in retail food safety programs depends on a number of factors.

New York Times Opinion Article: What the Child Care Crisis Does to Parents

American Heart Association Webpage

ASTHO Blog Article: Lessons Learned from Palau's Journey to Develop Health Equity Indicators

ASTHO Brief: Incorporating Health Equity Into Retail Food Safety

Larry Michael, State Environmental Health Director at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, tells us about the many public health careers available to people interested in science and public service; Marissa Vigar, Health Scientist at the CDC, explains that a new study says providers don’t feel equipped to treat patients sickened from harmful algal blooms; and an ASTHO webinar dives into a Washington State study about the ways Medicaid enrolled tobacco users access their health care.

PublicHealthCareers.org

ASTHO Webpage: Public Health Workforce

ScienceDirect Webpage: Healthcare Provider Confidence and Perceived Barriers to Diagnosing Illness Associated with Harmful Algal Blooms

ASTHO Webinar: Lessons with the State of Washington on Medicaid Data and Tobacco Use

ASTHO Webpage: Stay Informed

Nicole Casanova, Youth Engagement and Evaluation Specialist with the Washington State Department of Health, says her agency has created an online Teen Health Hub to answer teens’ questions; Dr. Lindsay Weaver, ASTHO Member and State Health Commissioner for the Indiana Department of Health, discusses how Indiana health leaders were able to win state approval of a 1500 percent increase in public health funding; and an ASTHO webinar will dive into how performance management systems can help agencies improve practices within their environmental health divisions.

Washington State Department of Health Webpage: Teen Health Hub WA

ASTHO Webinar: Investing in Public Health Infrastructure – Indiana's Success Story

ASTHO Webinar: Performance Management in Environmental Health

ASTHO Webpage: Stay Informed

Dr. Tomas Aragon, ASTHO Membera and Director and State Public Health Officer of the California Department of Public Health, discusses a new website to give people the information they need to understand and deal with the opioid crisis; Dr. Elizabeth Cuervo Tilson, ASTHO Member and State Health Director and Chief Medical Officer for the North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services, describes her state’s comprehensive plan to address gun violence; Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO Senior Vice President for Government Affairs and Public Relations, says Congress may be on track to meet new federal spending deadlines; ASTHO will host a webinar to discuss how Indiana’s legislature approved a 1500 percent increase in public health funding; and Mike Fraser, ASTHO CEO and Dr. Brian Castrucci, de Beaumont Foundation president and CEO, will explore how public health professionals can build strategic skills in a webinar.

 California Government Webpage: California’s Opioid Response

ASTHO Webinar: Investing in Public Health Infrastructure – Indiana's Success Story

ASTHO Webpage: Building Strategic Skills for Better Health – A Primer for Public Health Professionals

ASTHO Webinar: Building Strategic Skills for Public Health Professionals

Dr. Daniel Edney, ASTHO Member and State Health Officer of the Mississippi State Department of Health, says his state’s legal ability to review and implement FDA food code changes is better for everyone involved; Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO Senior Vice President for Government Affairs and Public Relations, tells us Congress might have an answer for agencies waiting to hear if new federal spending deadlines will be met; an ASTHO Blog article outlines a framework to better promote wellness among team members in health agencies; and ASTHO in collaboration with the CDC Foundation and the Michigan Public Health Institute are hosting a webinar with health equity as the focus on February 21.

ASTHO Blog Article: Workforce Planning Tools – Frameworks That Enhance Workforce Well-Being and Retention

ASTHO Webinar Registration: Healing Relationships Authentically to Sustain a Healthy Community – A STRETCH National Convening

Dr. Cheryl Bettigole, Philadelphia Health Commissioner, discusses a measles outbreak that was detected in the city in early December; Grace DeLeon, ASTHO Senior Analyst for Overdose Preparedness and Response, tells us about an ASTHO report to help agencies better understand how to reduce stigma for people who receive opioids for chronic pain; an upcoming ASTHO webinar focuses on insights from a CDC-funded project identifying Medicaid-enrolled tobacco users and exploring their healthcare patterns; and an ASTHO blog explains how ASTHO members have come up with new ways to help people who are losing Medicaid coverage they received during the pandemic.

CDC Webpage: Measles Cases and Outbreaks

ASTHO Report: How Healthcare Providers Can Reduce Stigma to Improve Care for Patients Taking Long-Term Opioid Therapy

ASTHO Webpage: Opioid Preparedness – Disruptions in Access to Prescription Opioids 

ASTHO Report: How State Health Departments Can Reduce Stigma to Improve Care for Patients Taking Long-Term Opioid Therapy

ASTHO Webinar: Lessons with the State of Washington on Medicaid Data and Tobacco Use

ASTHO Blog Article: Ensuring Continuity in Healthcare Coverage While Medicaid Unwinds