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Responsible for planting, growing, harvesting, processing, and preparing the food we eat, agricultural workers are essential workers during the COVID-19 response to keep the U.S. food supply chain operating efficiently. But farmworkers are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 due to lack of physical distancing, lack of access to health insurance and sick leave, and poor access to clean water for handwashing throughout the work day.

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented many challenges for breastfeeding families and state breastfeeding initiatives. This brief discusses these challenges and how states in ASTHO’s Breastfeeding Learning Community are overcoming COVID-19 challenges 

This resource highlights state-based program initiatives tailored to improving hypertensive disorders of pregnancy outcomes.

Mejorando el Manejo de Desempeño en las Operaciones de Salud Ambiental del Condado de Licking, Ohio Colton Anderson El manejo de desempeño es crucial para garantizar la efectividad y eficiencia de las operaciones de un departamento de salud. En salud ambiental, donde las regulaciones, los estándares y las preocupaciones de salud pública son primordiales, un manejo de desempeño efectivo asegura que tareas como la supervisión de la calidad del aire y del agua, la inspección de instalaciones para el cumplimiento de normas y la respuesta a emergencias ambientales se realicen con precisión y puntualidad. Además, permite que un departamento de salud identifique áreas de mejora, asigne recursos de manera eficiente y se adapte a las condiciones ambientales cambiantes o a los requisitos regulatorios. El Departamento de Salud Ambiental del Condado de Licking, Ohio, no solo está implementando prácticas de manejo de desempeño, sino que también las está alineando con los Estándares y Medidas de Reacreditación de Salud Pública, mientras rastrea diligentemente los datos para facilitar la mejora continua, que compartieron durante un seminario web sobre el Manejo de Desempeño en Salud Ambiental para fortalecer la capacidad de los beneficiarios de la subvención para la Infraestructura de Salud Pública. Optimizando el seguimiento de desempeño Mejorar el seguimiento del desempeño puede variar desde utilizar una hoja de cálculo de Excel bien estructurada con gráficos de líneas claros hasta emplear un software sofisticado de manejo de desempeño. Al desarrollar y seguir consistentemente medidas que se adapten a las necesidades del departamento de salud ambiental, el proceso no solo se vuelve claro, sino también sostenible, fomentando la toma de decisiones informadas. El Departamento de Salud Ambiental del Condado de Licking ha implementado un enfoque exhaustivo para organizar su sistema de seguimiento, segmentándolo por área de programa y adaptando las medidas para satisfacer las necesidades y objetivos específicos de cada dominio. Se han logrado éxitos notables al integrar sin problemas las medidas de desempeño en el sistema general de manejo de desempeño del condado, un logro alcanzado tras exhaustivos esfuerzos de mejora de calidad en su programa de plomería y operaciones de servicios fiscales. Entre estas iniciativas, se lanzó un proyecto notable para abordar problemas relacionados con los permisos de plomería a punto de expirar y la falta de un mecanismo de seguimiento confiable para las fechas de vencimiento. A través de mejoras estratégicas en los procedimientos de almacenamiento y seguimiento de permisos, el condado ahora cuenta con la capacidad de evaluar con precisión la tasa de vencimiento mensual de los permisos de plomería. De manera similar, se inició otro proyecto para reducir la emisión excesiva de reembolsos dentro del departamento. Al investigar las causas raíz de las solicitudes de reembolso, esta iniciativa facilitó el establecimiento de una medida de desempeño destinada a monitorear los montos mensuales de reembolso, asegurando así la adhesión a la asignación presupuestaria anual para reembolsos. Comunicando las medidas de desempeño Comunicar de manera efectiva las medidas de desempeño es esencial para la transparencia, la responsabilidad y la alineación con los objetivos organizacionales. Comunicar claramente y de manera regular los datos de desempeño permiten a los interesados comprender el progreso del departamento, identificar áreas de mejora y celebrar los éxitos. Un aspecto crucial de la comunicación de las medidas de desempeño es el uso de formatos accesibles y comprensibles. El departamento utiliza diversos canales de comunicación (por ejemplo, reuniones de personal, boletines departamentales, portales de intranet) para difundir los datos de desempeño de manera efectiva. Los recursos visuales, incluidos gráficos, tablas y tableros, presentan información compleja en un formato comprensible, facilitando la comprensión y el compromiso del personal. Estrategias de Manejo de Desempeño Equitativas En la búsqueda de la equidad dentro del manejo de desempeño, el Departamento de Salud Ambiental del Condado de Licking ha establecido vínculos transparentes entre los objetivos de los empleados y las prioridades organizacionales, apoyando la flexibilidad para acomodar diversas necesidades. Reconociendo el papel fundamental de los gerentes, el departamento invierte en mejorar sus habilidades de coaching para garantizar una toma de decisiones justa en las operaciones diarias. Además, el departamento implementa un enfoque matizado para la evaluación del desempeño, recompensando efectivamente el desempeño sobresaliente en ciertos roles mientras aborda y mejora el desempeño en otros. Como parte de su compromiso con la salud pública y la equidad, el departamento también opera un Programa de Cumplimiento Mejorado, ofreciendo inspecciones adicionales de seguridad alimentaria a las instalaciones que no cumplen con el Código de Seguridad Alimentaria de Ohio. Las inspecciones mensuales proporcionan apoyo continuo a estas instalaciones en la implementación de procedimientos adecuados de seguridad alimentaria, complementadas con sesiones de capacitación gratuitas en el sitio para capacitar a los operadores de alimentos con el conocimiento y las habilidades esenciales. A través de estos esfuerzos concertados, el departamento se esfuerza por fomentar la equidad en las prácticas de salud ambiental dentro de la comunidad Lecciones aprendidas y direcciones futuras A partir de la experiencia del Condado de Licking, es fundamental establecer un ritmo adecuado para integrar el manejo de desempeño en las operaciones del departamento. Comenzar con pocas medidas nuevas y monitorearlas regularmente para establecer pequeñas victorias al principio es clave para una implementación sostenible a largo plazo. Por ejemplo, documentar las fuentes de datos o los informes utilizados para actualizar sus tableros hizo que mantener las medidas de desempeño actualizadas fuera mucho más sencillo, especialmente para el personal nuevo. El Condado de Licking cree que su departamento de salud local debe esforzarse por operar todos sus programas de manera óptima. Tienen un gran número de medidas de desempeño vinculadas a las operaciones para garantizar una entrega óptima de los programas. Si bien las tareas programáticas se ejecutan a un alto estándar, si no logran mejoras en los resultados de salud o equidad, esto sirve como un catalizador para discutir posibles ajustes en el modelo de entrega del programa. A medida que el Condado de Licking continúa refinando su enfoque, busca activamente mejorar su sistema de manejo de desempeño alineando más estrechamente las medidas con los resultados de salud, enfatizando el impacto y la equidad. En última instancia, como indicó el Subcomisionado de Salud del Condado de Licking, Greg Chumney, "el manejo de desempeño se ve diferente para todos". A través de la dedicación, la innovación y la colaboración, el manejo de desempeño continuará siendo un pilar fundamental para avanzar en la salud ambiental y el bienestar público. article yes

Breastfeeding is considered the gold standard in postnatal care for both birthing persons and infants. Yet racial disparities in breastfeeding initiation and duration rates continue to persist. Effective intervention strategies require a multi-level approach that includes comprehensive legal, policy, and programmatic efforts.

Establishing an Office of Health Equity or Minority Health Learn how to establish, structure, and fund a health equity or minority health office. A dedicated office of health equity or minority health can provide a focus on cross-cutting efforts and strategies that help to improve services, outreach, and engagement with marginalized communities. This report delves into the typical scope for setting up a health equity or minority health office, including how to establish, structure, and fund it—providing a blueprint to island areas working to build one or considering establishing one in the future. In addition, it explores lessons learned from state offices of health equity or minority health, including California, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Vermont, and Washington. Get the Report (PDF) website yes

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted youth mental health, particularly as a result of school closures, social isolation, family economic hardship, fear of family loss or illness, and reduced access to healthcare. However, states have many strategies to choose from to improve youth mental health and reduce suicide.

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.

The 2020 holiday season is coinciding with a nationwide surge of COVID-19 cases. With great concern that holiday travel to see loved ones may exacerbate community spread of the virus, many states are increasing public health measures before the winter holiday season. As of November 16, 2020, 13 states and D.C. had a quarantine requirement for out-of-state travelers. The U.S. territories also have instituted travel restrictions to limit the spread of COVID-19.

This episode emphasizes the importance of addressing heart disease and stroke prevention through approaches that center on health equity, including systems-level changes, quality improvement, and community development. CDC’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention is partnering with ASTHO to support jurisdictions in successfully integrating efforts with healthcare and community partners and implementing best practices and evidence-based policies to identify, control, and improve blood pressure.

Leveraging Healthy People 2030 to Build Non-Traditional Multisector Partnerships multisector partnerships, healthy people 2030, health equity, health outcomes, social services, health disparities, preventable disease, premature death, health literacy, economic stability, social determinants of health, department of health, improving the health, united states, long term, life expectancies, population health, chronic diseases, prevention and health promotion, health care system, disease prevention and health, health systems, healthy people 2030 objective, subject matter experts, office of disease prevention, personal health literacy, achieving health equity, health problem, population groups, astho, association of state and territorial health officials Corinne Gillenwater, Megan DeNubila-Griffin ASTHO | This toolkit helps public health build and maintain relationships with non-traditional partners across a multitude of sectors. The goal of this toolkit is to help state and territorial health agencies (S/THAs) build non-traditional, non-public health sector partnerships to improve health outcomes and advance health equity. The Healthy People 2030 objectives, aligned closely with the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) framework and Health in All Policies (HiAP) lens, can serve as the cornerstone of these collaborations. This toolkit is implementation-focused, providing partnership-building and -sustaining skills that are rooted in Healthy People 2030 tools and success stories and can be operationalized for community needs. Overall, this toolkit encourages S/THAs to implement these described strategies in their own public health practice to: Establish and maintain partnerships within and across sectors at the state and territorial level to create a shared vision of health. Respond to public health priorities collaboratively and strategically. On This Page Using Healthy People 2030 in Non-Traditional Partnerships to Improve Public Health Types of Non-Public Health Sector and Non-Traditional Partnerships for Consideration Foundations of Strong Partnerships Sustainability of Partnerships 10 Steps for Strong Public Health Multisector Partnerships Conclusion Additional Resources website yes

Licking County, Ohio uses performance management to advance environmental health, emphasizing impact and equity.

The Ohio Department of Health implemented a project to engage Ohioans with disabilities to identify opportunities to create public health preparedness plans that better meet the needs of people with access and functional needs.

This week might have marked the beginning of summer, but many policymakers and health officials have their eye on the upcoming school year and what that might mean in terms of getting students vaccinated against COVID-19. According to a recent MMWR, COVID-19 related hospitalizations among adolescents increased in March and April 2021, potentially related to increased circulation of new COVID-19 variants, changes in physical distancing, and a larger number of children returning to school or other in-person indoor activities. This increase indicates an urgent need for vaccination against COVID-19, which is currently authorized for use in youth as young as 12.

The need for food and nutritional assistance is growing. Based on Feeding America’s food insecurity projections released in March, it is anticipated that 42 million people may experience food insecurity this year—up from 35 million pre-pandemic. The job loss in communities as businesses had to shut down or reduce capacity has left many families across the country relying on food banks. In fact, food banks in the Feeding America network distributed 6.1 billion meals to individuals and families during this pandemic, an increase of 43% from 2019. Many of the people who have fallen into food insecurity are experiencing it for the first time in their lives, as our food pantry partners across the country report that 35% or more of the people they’re serving today had never received charitable food prior to the pandemic.

ASTHO staff identified a range of evidence-supported policies considered by state legislatures that could prevent ACEs. This report synthesizes these research and policy proposals and is intended for public health practitioners and policymakers who are considering adopting similar policies.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to using a Health in All Policies (HiAP) strategy to address lead poisoning prevention. ASTHO held key informant interviews with staff from four state health agencies to learn more about their state childhood lead poisoning prevention programs and better understand how each agency employs a HiAP approach in its programmatic work. The key themes pulled from the discussions can be found in this report.

Through the lens of the Public Health Accreditation Board's standards and measures, this report explores innovative programs and policies implemented by health departments in an effort to adopt system-wide approaches to achieving health equity.

In 2020 and early 2021, state policymakers took action to raise awareness of the impacts of racism on health outcomes, to reverse the damage of racist polices, and to implement policy changes to ensure that future policies are enacted with a racial equity lens. In the past two years, many states introduced and adopted resolutions declaring racism a public health crisis. In the early weeks of 2022, there is notably less legislation that has been introduced as compared to the same time last year.

Continuing ASTHO’s Legislative Prospectus series—which highlights the top 10 public health policy issues for 2022—this post focuses on mental and behavioral health, as well as supporting the public health workforce.