Heidi Hedberg, Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Health and an ASTHO Member, describes Alaska's Comprehensive Integrated Mental Health Program Plan; Julia Greenspan, Director of Infectious Disease Infrastructure and Policy at ASTHO, explains how ASTHO’s new syphilis web page could help public health leaders; applications are now open for the 2025 ASTHO Leadership Institute; and the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention is inviting you to participate in a needs assessment.

Alaska's Comprehensive Integrated Mental Health Program Plan

ASTHO Web Page: Syphilis

ASTHO Web Page: ASTHO Leadership Institute

National Strategy for Suicide Prevention Web Page: 2025 SPRC National Strategy Needs Assessment

Dr. Laura Herrera Scott, Secretary of Health for the Maryland Department of Health, explains how her team used the Public Health Infrastructure Grant to fund a myriad of initiatives. 

PHIG Partners Web Page

PHIG Newsletter

Wesley Korteum, Data Analytics Section Lead at the Arizona Department of Health Services, explains how his team created a comprehensive public health data portal; Abraham Kulungara, Senior Director for Environmental Health at ASTHO, updates us on the state of indoor air quality; an ASTHO blog article highlights the staffing challenges public health agencies face; and if you’re attending HIMSS25 Global Health Conference and Exhibition make sure you check out the Public Health Data Modernization Preconference Forum.

Arizona Department of Health Services News Release: Arizona Department of Health Services Launches Public Health Data Portal

ASTHO Blog Article: States Are Innovating to Improve Indoor Air Quality

ASTHO Blog Article: How Staffing and Workload Can Impact Public Health Agencies

HIMSS25 Web Page

Kristin Peterson, Chief of Policy at the Washington State Department of Health, tells us why the data-sharing agreement with the Tulalip Tribe is historic; Dr. Kim Baker, Assistant Professor and Assistant Dean of Practice at UT Health Houston School of Public Health, explains the success of the Own Every Piece campaign; several members of the ASTHO team collaborated on a recent Journal of Public Health Management and Practice article that focuses on efforts to improve access to care; and an ASTHO report explores the reasons cancer prevention messaging has often not resonated with its intended audience.

Washington State Department of Health News Release: DOH and Tulalip Tribe sign historic Tribal-specific data sharing agreement

UT Health Houston School of Public Health Web Page: “Own Every Piece” Campaign Promotes Reproductive Wellness and Birth Control Access to More than 3 Million Women

Journal of Public Health Management and Practice Article: Public Health Agency Approaches to Improving Access to Care

ASTHO Report: Improving Public Health Messaging – Exploring the Reach and Effectiveness of Cancer Prevention Communications

Jill Hunsaker Ryan, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and an ASTHO Member, provides an update on Colorado’s progress dealing with syphilis; Dr. Sonya Borrero, Professor of Medicine and Director of CONVERGE at the University of Pittsburgh, explains the updated guidelines of Providing Quality Family Planning Services in the United States; a data story in the ASTHO PROFILE focuses on the number of public health non-temporary employees as well as the rise of vacant and temporary positions; and the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention is inviting you to participate in a needs assessment to help shape the future of suicide prevention.

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Web Page: Syphilis in Colorado

American Journal of Preventative Medicine Article: Providing Quality Family Planning Services in the United States: Recommendations of the U.S. Office of Population Affairs (Revised 2024)

ASTHO PROFILE Web Page: The number of public health non-temporary employees rises slightly; vacant and temporary positions rise more

Suicide Prevention Resource Center Web Page: 2025 SPRC National Strategy Needs Assessment

Mia Christopher, Research Epidemiologist at RTI International, explains how the Opioid Overdose Community Decision Tool could benefit public health; Lexa Giragosian, ASTHO Senior Analyst for Maternal and Child Health, tells us why she believes her blog article on adolescent mental health resonated with so many; and an ASTHO toolkit is aimed at improving working relationships between a health agency’s internal staff and external partners.

NIH Heal Initiative Web Page: Overdose Crisis Community Decision Tool

ASTHO Blog Article: Reducing the Impact of Eating Disorders on Adolescent Girls

ASTHO Web Page: Engaging Partners in a Virtual Space

ASTHO Web Page: 2025 Legislative Prospectus Series

Dr. Steven Stack, ASTHO Immediate Past President and Commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, tells us more about the Our Health Kentucky Home initiative; Dr. Josef Coresh, Director of the Optimal Aging Institute at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, tells us the numbers behind a study that says dementia cases could double by 2060; the PH WINS survey is expanding; and the CDC has issued a Health Alert Network Health Advisory about a recently confirmed outbreak of Ebola in Uganda.

Our Healthy Kentucky Home Web Page

NYU Langone Health Web Page: United States Dementia Cases Estimated to Double by 2060

de Beaumont Foundation Web Page: Raising the Voices of the Islands Workforce – A Historic Expansion of PH WINS

CDC Web Page: Ebola Outbreak Caused by Sudan virus in Uganda

Dr. Heidi B. Miller, Chief Medical Officer of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, explains how her state was able to see the first significant decline in drug overdose deaths in nearly a decade; Jeffrey Ekoma, ASTHO Senior Director for Government Affairs, walks us through what is next in the HHS Secretary confirmation process; Jessica Todorovich is the Acting Secretary of Health for the Washington State Department of Health as well as ASTHO’s newest member; and ASTHO is now taking applications for the Implementing Pharmacist-Prescribed Contraception Learning Community.

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services News Release: Missouri sees first significant decline in drug overdose deaths in nearly a decade

ASTHO Web Page: Jessica Todorovich

ASTHO Web Page: Implementing Pharmacist-Prescribed Contraception Learning Community

Dr. Sejal Hathi, Director of the Oregon Health Authority, tells us that to achieve Oregon’s bold health goals we have to work together; Beth Giambrone, ASTHO Senior Analyst for State Health Policy, explains how some states are addressing food deserts and food insecurity; and apply today to be part of the Leadership Exchange for Adolescent Health Promotion Plus Community of Practice.

Oregon Health Authority Web Page: Oregon Health Forward

ASTHO Blog Article: State Policies Aim to Eliminate Food Deserts 

ASTHO Web Page: Leadership Exchange for Adolescent Health Promotion Plus (LEAHP+) Community of Practice

Dr. Sejal Hathi, Director of the Oregon Health Authority and an ASTHO Member, explains her state’s bold initiative to eliminate health inequities; Kelsey Tillema, ASTHO Senior Workforce Analyst, tells us about a new resource ASTHO has to support workforce well-being; PublicHealthCareers.org could be where you find your next great hire; an ASTHO article outlines trends related to public health data modernization; and Dr. Brannon Traxler, Deputy Director of Health Promotion and Services and the Chief Medical Officer for the South Carolina Department of Public Health as well as an ASTHO Member, is the brand new Secretary and Treasurer for ASTHO’s Board of Directors.

Oregon Health Authority Web Page: Oregon Health Forward

Journal of Public Health Management and Practice Article: Strategies for Enhancing Governmental Public Health Workforce Well-being and Retention

ASTHO Web Page: PH-HERO Workforce Resource Center

ASTHO Web Page: Modernizing Public Health Data and Protecting Privacy

PublicHealthCareers.org

ASTHO Web Page: Brannon Traxler