Public Health Review Morning Edition

ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser hopes the new year signals a shift in the pandemic; Kelly Wroblewski, Director of Infectious Diseases for the Association of Public Health Laboratories, says labs are ready for whatever the pandemic brings this winter; ASTHO plans a webinar featuring it's disability and preparedness specialists; and ASTHO has a new blog article about viral hepatitis that includes four ideas j...

ASTHO Chief Medical Officer Dr. Marcus Plescia says even though everyone is tired of the pandemic, we can't give up fighting the virus now; ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser, along with two other public health leaders, says the pandemic has been difficult but also has offered several valuable lessons; and ASTHO's Director of State Health Policy, Maggie Davis, previews ASTHO's annual series of policy papers fo...

Eric Cote, an expert in emergency power preparedness, tells us why it's important to know who relies on electricity for their medical devices when power is lost in a community; Stephen Heck, an ASTHO Disability and Preparedness Specialist working in South Dakota, says his time helping the state plan a new training program has been rewarding; and ASTHO publishes a fresh episode of the Public Health...

Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO's Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Relations, analyzes the Build Back Better Act and looks ahead to the possibility of another continuing resolution in February; Dr. Nicole Alexander Scott, Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, says Health Equity Zones turn traditional public health models upside down; Katie Lamansky, Health Program Manager...

Mike Fraser, ASTHO's CEO, recognizes the first anniversary of a COVID-19 vaccine and discusses hesitancy; Professor Dorit Reiss, University of California Hastings College of the Law, examines the legal arguments behind a lawsuit challenging New York City's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for municipal workers; ASTHO members wrap up their first in-person conference since the pandemic started almost two ye...

Carolyn Mullen, ASTHO's Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Relations, says it's unlikely Congress will roll back one of President Biden's vaccine mandates; Devon Page, a government affairs analyst at ASTHO, tells us how states and territories can begin to improve transportation options for people who struggle to access medical care; Katie Lamansky, Health Program Manager for Ge...

Kim Martin, ASTHO's Director of Immunization, tells us how an event like National Influenza Vaccination Week impacts vaccination awareness; ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser says communities weary of COVID-19 cannot afford to let their guard down; and Dr. Nicole Alexander Scott, Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, explains the value of health equity zones. ASTHO Blog Article: Flu Activity Risin...

Claire Hannan, Executive Director of the Association of Immunization Managers, says vaccines have benefitted from the attention they've received during the pandemic; Jessica Baggett, ASTHO's COVID-19 Response Director, says states and territories have work to do to prepare for the rollout of antiviral therapies, like the AstraZeneca formula given emergency use authorization by the FDA Wednesday af...

Dr. Tom Frieden, President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, a non-profit organization, debuts a media campaign sharing stories of young people suffering from Long COVID; The White House hosts a Maternal Health Day of Action event; and ASTHO is hiring for several open positions. Webpage: Resolve to Save Lives Launches First-of-its-kind "Voices of Long COVID" Media Campaign Throughout the United St...

Dr. Judy Monroe, President and CEO of the CDC Foundation, shares details of a new series of discussions considering the future of public health; Felecia Barrow, an ASTHO Disability and Preparedness Specialist working in Alabama, tells how National Guard members trained to work with the disability community helped a young woman and her family get vaccinated against COVID-19; and the non-profit Reso...

ASTHO Chief Medical Officer Dr. Marcus Plescia says influenza and COVID-19 have a lot in common, as National Influenza Vaccination Week kicks off today; Professor James Hodge Jr., at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University in Phoenix, predicts the fate of several federal vaccine mandates now held up in courts around the nation; and the CDC Foundation, ASTHO, and other gr...

ASTHO leaders react to President Biden's winter COVID-19 strategy. Dr. Nirav Shah, ASTHO President and Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO's Chief Medical Officer, discuss booster shots, messaging, pharmacy capacity, and at-home tests; and we recognize International Day of Persons with Disabilities today with a story about Felecia Barrow,...

ASTHO Chief Medical Officer Dr. Marcus Plescia says there are more questions than answers regarding the Omicron variant now in the United States; Dr. Plescia writes in a new ASTHO blog article that the pandemic presents an historic opportunity to address health equity in the U.S.; Aika Aluc, ASTHO's Senior Analyst for Maternal and Infant Health, examines the many ways states and territories have w...

Dr. Stephen Lee, Executive Director of the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, talks about World AIDS Day and the opportunities for public health agencies; Dr. Umair Shah, Washington's Secretary of Health, explains how personal challenges help him connect with people in his state; Dr. Mary Bassett begins work today as New York's new commissioner of health; and ASTHO provides...

Several ASTHO members attend a White House event in appreciation of public health workers across the states and territories. ASTHO President Dr. Nirav Shah, ASTHO President-Elect Dr. Anne Zink, California's Dr. Tomas Aragon, and Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt from Washington, D.C. offer comments to a national audience; Dr. Steven Stack, Commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, says vulner...

Dr. Alexis Travis, Michigan's Senior Deputy Director at the Department of Health and Human Services, explains her focus on caring for people with Alzheimer's and other dementias; Janet Hamilton, Executive Director of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, shares the advice she gives her members about inconsistent funding for public health initiatives; Josh Berry, Analyst for Health...

ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser offers his thoughts on today's Public Health Thank You Day celebration recognizing public health workers across the states and territories. He also previews a special event at the White House scheduled for Noon eastern time; and Stephen Lee, Executive Director of the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, gives us his "thankful" note to mark the day. ASTHO...

Clare Coleman, President and CEO of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, explains how to apply for a new round of Title X grants now available from HHS; Dr. Steven Stack, Commissioner of the Kentucky Department for Public Health, says states and territories could not have done their work without emergency COVID-19 funds, but he hopes for a different funding approach go...

ASTHO CEO Mike Fraser says the appointment of Dr. Rahul Gupta, the former West Virginia health commissioner, to be Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, is good news for states and territories; Chris Salyers, Director of Programs and Evaluation at the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health, explains how public health departments can support rural healt...

Lynn Trujillo, Secretary of the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department, explains the challenges and successes of the COVID-19 response in her state's tribal communities; Mylynn Tufte, North Dakota's former state health official, prepares to discuss how to lead with gratitude in tomorrow's final Insight and Inspiration event online; ASTHO announces new job openings; and Richa Ranade, ASTHO's Senior D...

Mylynn Tufte, North Dakota's former state health official, explains the power of gratitude in advance of her Insight and Inspiration talk on Thursday, Nov. 18; Rhea Farberman, Director of Strategic Communications and Policy Research at the Trust for America's Health, suggests communicators tell audiences that pandemic guidance can and will change; ASTHO reminds state and territorial health profess...

The Rockefeller Foundation releases its 5th survey of Americans' attitudes about the pandemic response; Dr. Nicole Alexander Scott, Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, says every public health agency should update its Healthy People 2030 plan to reflect the pandemic's impact on measurable goals; ASTHO and the Center for Health Care Strategies offer a report explaining how public hea...

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy unveils a new health misinformation toolkit; Dr. Anne Zink, ASTHO President-Elect, gives parents five reasons to vaccinate their kids against COVID-19; Sami Jo Freeman, Deputy Communications Director for the Missouri Department of Health, says the state's vaccine lottery helped combat misinformation; and Dr. Umair Shah, Washington's Secretary of Health, tells...

Sen. Kalani Kaneko of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, himself a former health official, shares how military veterans from the freely associated states aligned with the U.S. cannot access their health benefits if they decide to live on the islands they call home; Dr. Lee Norman, Kansas Secretary of Health and a Colonel in the U.S. Army, tells us what he would do to improve health care for his...

Kimberly Hood, Assistant Secretary for the Office of Public Health at the Louisiana Department of Health, explains why the state expanded its COVID-19 vaccine incentive program to include payments for kids who get the new pediatric vaccine; Sami Jo Freeman, Deputy Communications Director at the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, shares how the state's vaccination lottery led many r...