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A Q&A with DELPH participants James Bell III and Sandy Noel about their experiences in the program and why it is so important to develop your own brand as a leader.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of having in-house skills to respond to worldwide public health emergencies. Because of this, the American College of Preventive Medicine recommends that health departments consider bringing a board-certified preventive medicine physician on staff or to have one available to assist with preparedness and population health interventions.

This interview is part of ASTHO’s Leadership Trailblazers series, which shares outstanding public health leaders’ inspirations, motivations, and accomplishments. This post features CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH.

While governments have faced challenges in adopting a Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach to respond to COVID-19, the impact of the public health emergency across sectors such as housing, transportation, and employment has created a unique opportunity for stakeholders to build and strengthen collaborative systems to address the inequities exacerbated by COVID-19.

In the late fall of 2021, ASTHO leadership visited select jurisdictions in the Pacific and the Atlantic for the first time since COVID-19 curtailed travel to these regions. It was a fantastic to reconnect with our leadership and dedicated staff. Unsurprisingly, we heard about the jurisdictions’ challenges, including chronic ones related to funding and infrastructure, as well as new challenges resulting from the global pandemic.

As we anticipate the likely approval of COVID-19 vaccination for children, our nation faces the final step to bring the COVID-19 pandemic under control. If approved for children ages 5-11, the COVID-19 vaccine will dramatically improve our efforts to resume in-person learning in our nation’s schools and will help break the cycle of transmission from children to adults.

Nov. 3, 2021, marks the sixth annual One Health Day, a global campaign to recognize and embrace how public health is connected to the health of animals and our shared environment. In this post, ASTHO talks about One Health with Wayne E. Cascio, MD, who serves as the Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Research and Development at EPA.

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children is a targeted public health nutrition program designed to support nutrition and health behaviors that reach low-income families. The program is funded through discretionary funds to the United States Department of Agriculture and administered by each state’s health or public health department. The department then contracts with county health departments, local health centers, hospitals, federally qualified health centers, and private nonprofits to deliver community-based clinic services.

Economic security and well-being, job stability, access to safe and affordable housing, access to healthy and nutritious foods, and access to resources to manage mental and physical health—all of these things impact individual, family, and community health. The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally impacted each of these social determinants of health for many Americans. Furthermore, some communities and industries have faced harder economic impacts than others, including households with low incomes, non-white households, and households with children. Human services and public health leaders can collaborate to make sure we are rebuilding systems and programs in a way that creates healthier, more resilient families and communities.

On Oct. 4, 2023, ASTHO, CDC, the Center for Law and Social Policy, and Mental Health America released a framework for public health leaders with effective strategies to improve mental health and prevent suicide for all people, in every community in the settings where they live, learn, work, and play.

On Nov. 30, 2022, ASTHO, NNPHI, and PHAB released a joint statement announcing the receipt of CDC funds as part of the Public Health Infrastructure Grant Program.

On Feb. 15, 2022 ASTHO announced the launch of a new public health workforce development program, the Public Health, Equity, Resilience, and Opportunity Program (PH-HERO)—aimed to address workforce burnout, resiliency, and morale.

As COVID spread through the country and infection rates rose in every state, many of the the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI) received media attention for remaining relatively COVID-free. The USAPI’s unified response in the face of a global pandemic is a history-making tale of collaboration, communication, and partnership. The successes of public health leaders provide important lessons for preventing, preparing for, and responding to future public health emergencies.

ASTHO CEO Michael Fraser, PhD, and Tracey Wareing Evans, President and CEO of APHSA, sit down to discuss building a foundational family well-being roadmap amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

State and local jurisdictions are developing Ending the HOV Epidemic plans. The EHE initiative has largely focused on four key strategies: Diagnose, Treat, Prevent, and Respond to potential outbreaks. The EHE initiative set a goal to increase the estimated percentage of individuals with indications for PrEP who have been prescribed PrEP to 50 percent by 2025, as the national average as of 2018 is 18.2 percent. Several states have proposed and/or passed legislation to ensure insurance coverage of PrEP and/or to allow pharmacists to prescribe and dispense it. In addition to efforts addressing cost-related challenges, states can also employ innovative approaches—such as telehealth—to expand access to PrEP services to those in need.

The adage “what gets measured, gets done” has had staying power for a reason. When we can accurately describe conditions, quantify impact, and elucidate connections, we have a better chance at taking collective (and effective) action to tackle even the most challenging problems facing our communities. The National Survey of Children’s Health is a powerful tool to provide this critical information to researchers, policymakers, and state-level decision makers.

In anticipation of the upcoming presidential election in November, the Republican and Democratic National Committees released their platforms. These platforms provide an overview of values, policies, positions, and principles on various domestic and foreign issues deemed most important to the two political parties. For the upcoming 2020 elections, delegates of the Republican National Committee approved a resolution that renewed support for the platform adopted in 2016 and the Democratic National Committee approved a 2020 platform. Although both platforms touch on a diverse list of issues, there are several that are of interest to health and public health.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and the importance of continued mental health promotion and suicide prevention efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. As we address the physical effects of COVID-19 through social distancing, mask wearing, and vaccination, we still need to prioritize mental health and well-being during and after the pandemic. A recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found increases in adults reporting symptoms of anxiety or depression (36.4% to 41.5%) and unmet mental health care need (9.2% to 11.7%) between Aug. 2020 to Feb. 2021.

In recognition of National Infant Immunization Week, ASTHO and AMCHP interviewed Michael Warren, MD, MPH, FAAP, and Associate Administrator of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), for his thoughts on how we can protect our infants and children from vaccine-preventable diseases during this extraordinary time. Especially now, as COVID-19 vaccination expands across the country—including the hope for a vaccine for children (five years and older), and with the promise of a return to in-person education, families and communities must quickly catch up on missed vaccinations.

Over the years evidence has expanded on community health workers (CHWs) improving outcomes and even reducing disparities in heart disease and many other public health priority areas. However, their presence in state and local public health workforce is still modest. A number of efforts have sought to expand the role of CHWs in medical care settings by developing reimbursement through third party payers, along with including them in managed care contracts and incorporating them in state Medicaid plans. The experience and lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic could substantially change the way we practice public health in the future, and provides opportunities to expand the role and presence of CHWs in the state and local public health workforce.