On March 8, 2022, ASTHO reaffirmed its position that children five years of age and older should be vaccinated against COVID-19, as recommended by public health experts.
On March 2, 2022, ASTHO CEO Michael Fraser released a statement commending President Biden’s State of the Union pledge to protect America’s health by addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, opioid epidemic, and current mental health crisis.
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.
A joint statement on transitioning away from universal case investigation and contact tracing for individual cases of COVID-19 by public health agencies.
On June 4, 2013, The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) congratulated the health agencies in Colorado, Delaware, Maine, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wyoming, each of whom will receive awards from the March of Dimes for reaching meaningful milestones in their efforts to reduce preterm births.
On Sept. 19, 2013 Terry Cline, commissioner of the Oklahoma State Department of Health, was elected president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) during the association's annual meeting in Orlando, Florida. John Dreyzehner, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health, was elected as secretary-treasurer at the same meeting. Jewel Mullen, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health, became president-elect.
On Dec. 10, 2020, ASTHO president and Pennsylvania secretary of health Rachel Levine, MD, testified about the COVID-19 vaccine before a Senate subcommittee.
On Sept. 3, 2020, Rachel Levine, MD, ASTHO President and Secretary of Health for Pennsylvania, issued a statement of concern and called for rigorous scientific testing in response to comments from federal leadership that implied a COVID-19 vaccine could be distributed to the public prior to the completion of phase 3 clinical trials.
On Aug. 13, 2020, ASTHO and the National Coalition of STD Directors announced that their joint venture, Making Content: A Training for COVID-19 Contact Tracers has been awarded a Power of A Silver Award by the American Society of Association Executives.
On Aug. 12, 2020, ASTHO and the Big Cities Health Coalition launched a joint campaign called Personalities, that urges Americans to "mask up" and slow the spread of COVID-19.
On Aug. 3, 2020, ASTHO CEO Michael Fraser issued a statement reminding the federal government of the toll COVID-19 is taking on public health systems, and calling on Congress and the administration to support and fund governmental public health appropriately.
On July 16, 2020, ASTHO announced that Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Rachel Levine, MD, has been appointed to the position of ASTHO President.
On July 16, 2020, ASTHO announced the release of a COVID-19 issue guide that delves into the evolving role and function of technology in this pandemic response. Particularly as it relates to contact tracing, case investigation, and use of mobile phone apps.
As July 4, 2020 approaches, physicians and health officials across the country are urging Americans to practice social distancing, wear masks, and generally remember to follow COVID-safe procedures to help stem the spread of the virus.
On June 30, 2020, a group of public health and science organizations issued a letter urging Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Azar to maintain the Public Health Emergency Declaration for COVID-19.
On June 23, 2020, ASTHO CEO Michael Frasier and ASTHO president, and Arkansas secretary of health, Nathaniel Smith, MD, MPH issued a statement urging the American public to follow public health measures, such as wearing face coverings, to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
On June 23, 2020, Joneigh S. Khaldun, MD, MPH, the health official from Michigan, and an ASTHO member, testified before a Senate committee about the lessons learned so far from the COVID-19 pandemic.
On June 2, 2020, ASTHO leadership released a statement affirming that the organization remains steadfast in its work to facilitate the sharing of ideas and experiences, creating dialogue that is inclusive of all voices within the public health continuum, identifying and raising awareness of best practices in public health—that not only eliminate racism and hate, but also bring forth solutions to the communities that we serve—and uprooting elements of hate that impact our ability to effectively respond to adverse events in our communities.
On May 7, 2020, ASTHO released a statement applauding a new tool, the Contact Tracing Workforce Estimator, that will help state and local health departments determine the number of staff needed to effectively identify and trace people who have been in contact with new cases of COVID-19 and slow the spread of the virus.
On April 10, 2020, ASTHO CEO Michael Fraser released a statement of support for a new report by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security entitled "A National Plan to Enable Comprehensive COVID-19 Case Finding and Contact Tracing in the U.S."