Maggie Davis, ASTHO Director of State Health Policy, updates us on movements that could reshape public health authority; Emily Fine, School and Youth Survey Manager at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, discusses the results of the Healthy Kids Colorado survey; and a new ASTHO guide shows how health equity metrics help island areas understand community issues and improve health equity.

ASTHO Blog Article: State Legislatures Reshape Public Health Legal Authority

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment News Release: CDPHE releases the latest Healthy Kids Colorado Survey data

ASTHO Report: Using Health Equity Indicators to Guide Community Health Improvement in U.S. Territories and Freely Associated States

ASTHO Web Page: Stay Informed

Ellen Essick, Section Chief for the NC Healthy Schools Section at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, explains the results of North Carolina’s Youth Risk Behavior Survey; Byron Lobsinger, Environmental Health Emergency Planner for the Department of Public Health in Georgia, recaps the impacts Hurricane Debby had on his state; ASTHO along with NACCHO and the CDC has published an article focused on lessons learned from the Public Health Disability Specialists program; ASTHO, with support from the EPA, has created four Community Action Plan Templates for state and territorial health agencies to address children’s environmental health; and the CDC has issued a Health Alert Network Health Advisory about current increases in human parvovirus B19 activity.

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Web Page: NC Youth Risk Behavior Surveys show improvement in student mental health

ASTHO Blog Article: Preparing for and Responding to Infectious Disease Threats Following Hurricanes

ASTHO Blog Article: Responding to Environmental Health Threats Following Hurricanes

ASTHO Blog Article: Why It’s Never Too Early to Prep for Hurricane Season

Journal of Public Health Management & Practice Article: Best Practices and Lessons Learned From the Public Health Disability Specialists Program – Addressing the Needs of People With Disabilities During COVID-19

ASTHO Resource: Community Action Plan Templates for Children’s Environmental Health

CDC Web Page: Increase in Human Parvovirus B19 Activity in the United States

Dr. Veronica Gillispie-Bell, Medical Director of the Louisiana Pregnancy Associated Mortality Review and the Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative, details the work to lower accidental overdose among pregnant persons; Linda Krantz, Health Communications Specialist with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, explains why her department created a public health podcast; and a new ASTHO report delivers a blueprint for setting up a health equity or minority health office.

Louisiana Department of Health Webpage: LDH premieres video series on treatment for maternal substance use disorder

Talking Health in the 406 Podcast Webpage

ASTHO Report: Establishing an Office of Health Equity or Minority Health

ASTHO Webpage: Stay Informed

Dr. Debra Bogen, Secretary of Health for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, discusses the importance of testing children for lead; Irving Washington, Senior Vice President and Executive Director for KFF’s Health Misinformation and Trust Initiative, tells us how Public Health can benefit from KFF’s Health Misinformation Monitor; an ASTHO report explores how the Mississippi State Department of Health integrates environmental justice into disaster response and emergency preparedness; and the CDC has issued a Health Alert Network Health Update regarding Mpox.

TribLive News Article: Dr. Debra Bogen – Applesauce recall shows importance of testing all children for lead poisoning

KFF Webpage: Health Misinformation and Trust

ASTHO Report: How Mississippi Prioritizes Environmental Justice During Disaster Response

CDC Webpage: Mpox Caused by Human-to-Human Transmission of Monkeypox Virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with Spread to Neighboring Countries

Dr. Mark Levine, ASTHO Member and Commissioner of Health for the State of Vermont, recaps some recent updates to a few ASTHO policy statements; Sherri Ohly, Co-Director of the Envision Equity CHW Training and Technical Assistance Center, says Community Health Workers are critical to public health; an ASTHO report inspects the link between substance use, incarceration, and death; and an ASTHO blog article examines how your workplace can improve the retention of employees by enhancing connection.

ASTHO Blog Article: Federal Nutrition Program’s Fate Lies in 2024 Farm Bill

ASTHO Policy Statement: Improving Birth Outcomes Policy Statement

ASTHO Policy Statement: Commercial Tobacco and Nicotine Use Prevention Policy Statement

ASTHO Policy Statement: State Home Visiting Programs Policy Statement

ASTHO Webpage: Policy Statements

Public Health Review Podcast Episode: Investing in Community Health Workers Is Vital to Population Health

ASTHO Report: Supporting Incarcerated People’s Recovery – Linkage to Care Policies for People Entering and Exiting Incarceration with Substance Use Disorder

ASTHO Blog Article: Enhancing Connection at Work Can Improve Retention

Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Distinguished Professor of Practice at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Former Baltimore City Health Commissioner, explains the ups and downs of overdose deaths in Baltimore across the last decade; Catherine Jones, ASTHO Senior Analyst for Government Affairs, stresses the importance of the SNAP program; an ASTHO blog article discusses response strategies to environmental health threats after a hurricane; and am ASTHO blog article emphasizes how hurricanes heighten the risk of infectious diseases due to flooding and population displacement.

The New York Times News Article: Almost 6,000 Dead in 6 Years: How Baltimore Became the U.S. Overdose Capital

ASTHO Blog Article: Federal Nutrition Program’s Fate Lies in 2024 Farm Bill

ASTHO Blog Article: Responding to Environmental Health Threats Following Hurricanes

ASTHO Blog Article: Preparing for and Responding to Infectious Disease Threats Following Hurricanes

Dr. Scott Harris, ASTHO President-Elect and Alabama State Health Officer, discusses his state’s new maternal autopsy program; Calliana Thomas, Director of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention in the New York State Department of Health, tells us about the Surgeon General’s recent decision to declare gun violence as a public health issue; and a new ASTHO blog article explains the benefits of fostering workplace connections.

Alabama Public Health Webpage: Alabama Maternal Mortality Review Program

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Webpage: Firearm Violence in America

Public Health Review Podcast Episode: A Blueprint for Establishing a Health Equity or Minority Health Office

ASTHO Blog Article: Enhancing Connection at Work Can Improve Retention

Ben Gamache, Policy Consultant for the Office of Health Workforce Development at the Department of Health Care Access and Information, explains why California has created a new position; Dr. Lisa Villarroel, Chief Medical Officer for Public Health at the Arizona Department of Health Services, discusses how AZ reach helps smaller hospitals; and an ASTHO webinar will teach you how state health agencies can address gaps in the policy review process.

California Wellness Coach Webpage

ASTHO Blog Article: State Policies Bolster Rural Healthcare Workforce

AZ Reach Webpage

Arizona Department of Health Services Webpage: Arizona Surge Line

Public Health Review Podcast Episode: Improving Public Health by Modernizing Data Exchange

ASTHO Webinar: How State Health Agencies Can Address Gaps in the Policy Review Process