Summary:

The FDA Food Code provides an evidence-based set of best practices for retail food safety that can reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses from retail food establishments. It offers a wide array of benefits that can help establish uniformity in retail food across the country, but some jurisdictions may face challenges in adopting it. There are different ways to adopt the Food Code, showcased in this podcast episode, with examples from Connecticut and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation.

Speakers:

· Manisha Juthani, MD: Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Public Health

· Cynthia Costa: Supervisor, Food Protection Program, Environmental Health Drinking Water Branch/Environmental Health Section, Connecticut Department of Public Health

· Maryam Hosseini, RS/REHS: Environmental Health Manager, Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation

Resources:

· The Importance of the FDA Food Code | ASTHO

· Helping Healthy Agencies Adopt the FDA’s Updated Food Code | Journal of Public Health Management and Practice (lww.com)

· Our History | Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation

· Environmental Health Program | Mashantucket Land Use Commission

· Sec. 19a-36j. Food inspectors. Certification. Inspections. | Chapter 368a – Department of Public Health

· Sec. 19a-36h. Adoption by reference of United States Food and Drug Administration’s Food Code. Regulations. | Chapter 368a – Department of Public Health

· ASTHO Daily Newscast: Public Health Review Morning Edition

The Government of Guam (GovGuam)— along with many other states, territories, and freely associated states — experience s challenges with procurement, which were illuminated by the COVID-19 pandemic response. To improve their small purchase procurement process, GovGuam invested time and resources into business process improvement (BPI), forming cross-agency leadership and project teams with key staff from the Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services (DPHSS), the Office of the Governor of Guam, and other government agencies to inform decisions. Learn about the benefits and challenges of their efforts, and listen to their hopes for the future.

Guests

· Arthur San Agustin: Special Assistant of Health to the Governor of Guam, Former Director of Guam DPHSS, ASTHO Alum

· Bertha Taijeron: Program Coordinator, Guam DPHSS

· Jon Junior Calvo: Chief of Staff, Office of the Governor of Guam

Resources

• Grants Management Office Structure Optimization Toolkit assists in establishing and maintaining a centralized grants management office to optimize the use of federal funding.
• ASTHO STAR Center provides high quality resources, tools, and model practices that modernize and strengthen administrative and organizational capacity.
• Business process improvement efforts in the U.S. Virgin Islands offer insight into improving federal grants management:
• • Interagency Collaboration to Improve Business Processes in the U.S. Virgin Islands
  • How the U.S. Virgin Islands Is Improving Federal Grants Management
  • U.S. Virgin Islands Federal Grants Planning and Set Up Process Improvement
  • USVI – Business Processes Improvement
• Boundary Spanning Leadership workshops focus on leveraging boundaries to benefit a group or an entire organization.
• Using Boundary Spanning Leadership to Improve Population Health details GovGuam’s Boundary Spanning efforts.
• Public Health Review Morning Edition

The social determinants of health (SDOH)—the social, economic, and built environments in which people live, learn, work, and play—have significant impacts on health outcomes. Yet, sustainably funding initiatives that address SDOH is an ongoing challenge. In this episode, Admiral Rachel Levine, MD, assistant secretary for health at HHS, and Danielle Nelson, Senior Program Analyst at the Federal Transit Administration, discuss the federal government’s commitment to aligning investments and resources across agencies. In addition, Elizabeth Hertel, director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, provides a practical example of how Michigan’s state health agency works collaboratively with the housing authority to ensure access to stable housing.

Guests:

Admiral Rachel Levine, MD: Assistant Secretary for Health, HHS

Elizabeth Hertel: Director, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

Danielle Nelson: Senior Program Analyst, Federal Transit Administration

Resources:

Braiding and Layering Funding to Address the Social Determinants of Health

Public Health Review Morning Edition