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ASTHO Awards Public Health Leaders and Agencies for Service BETHESDA, MD—The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) presented several awards during its 2019 Annual Meeting and Policy Summit this week to commend public health leaders and agencies for their service and dedication to improving our nation’s health. “We’re pleased to recognize this distinguished group of health professionals and agencies,” says Elke Shaw-Tulloch, state health officer at the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, past ASTHO president, and chair of ASTHO's Nominations, Awards, and Membership Committee. “The excellence we highlight today touches millions of lives and represents just a small sample of our nation’s dedicated public health professionals, who continuously strive to promote the public’s health and well-being.” The 2019 ASTHO awardees include: John Wiesman, DrPH, MPH, Secretary of Health, Washington State Department of Health Arthur T. McCormack Award Dr. Wiesman has served as Washington state’s health official since 2013 and currently co-chairs the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. Under his leadership, the Washington State Department of Health is spearheading the End AIDS Washington program, developing the Healthiest Next Generation initiative, identifying and funding foundational public health services, implementing the governor’s executive order to reduce suicide and prevent firearm injuries and deaths, and addressing the public health impacts of climate change. Stephanie C. Williams, RNP, MPH, Senior Deputy, Arkansas Department of Health Noble J. Swearingen Award As deputy director for public health programs at the Arkansas Department of Health, Ms. Williams oversees and guides the work of the agency’s four operational centers: Health Advancement, Health Protection, Local Public Health and Public Health Practice. She also oversees the state public health laboratory and the state offices of Health Communication and Minority Health. Ms. Williams also advises and assists the state health official in setting policy and programmatic direction for the department and serves as state health official in his absence. Janae Price, MPH, Senior Epidemiologist, Illinois Department of Public Health State/Territorial Excellence in Public Health Award Ms. Price served the Illinois Department of Public Health from April 2016 to March 2019 as a member of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. She led or co-led more than five nationally-funded statewide projects, ten committees or workgroups, and numerous complex multi-year projects. Price’s contributions led the health agency to strengthen its chronic disease epidemiology capacity by integrating evaluation and performance monitoring for chronic disease programs, developing critical partnerships, improving data collection and reporting quality, and using innovative methods to assess public health needs. Paul K. Halverson, DrPH ASTHO Alumni Award Dr. Halverson served as the state health official for the Arkansas Department of Health from 2005-2013. He oversaw the development of Arkansas’ statewide trauma system, which has become a model for other states, and he greatly enhanced the effectiveness of the Arkansas Public Health Preparedness Program and the Arkansas Public Health Laboratory. As a state health official, Dr. Halverson was a mentor to many new state health officials and a trusted colleague to his peers. After transitioning to his position as founding dean of the Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health, he has remained active as an ASTHO alumnus, serving as president of the ASTHO Alumni Society. Increasing Immunization Capacity in Texas Emergency Responder Facilities—Texas Department of State Health Services ASTHO Vision Award, First Place, Category A (Programs ≥ $250,000) ASTHO recognizes Texas Department of State Health Services for its work raising immunization rates for Texas emergency responders. Implementation of the New York State Prevention Agenda 2013-2018—New York State Department of Health ASTHO Vision Award, Second Place, Category A (Programs ≥ $250,000) ASTHO recognizes New York State Department of Health’s for its work developing a six-year state health improvement plan, which aims to make New York the healthiest state. Developed in collaboration with the Ad Hoc Committee to Lead the Prevention Agenda and more than 140 statewide organizations, the plan identifies New York’s most urgent health concerns and recommends ways statewide organizations and local health departments, hospitals, and partners from the health, business, education, and nonprofit sectors can work together to address them. Office of Grants Management—Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation ASTHO Vision Award, First Place, Category B (Programs less than $250,000) ASTHO recognizes the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation for establishing the Office of Grants Management to improve coordination of the administration of all of the health agency’s federal programs and external funds. The office was created to oversee the financial and record keeping aspects of the annual grant-making process for the corporation and its divisions for all grants received or awarded. It also collaborates closely with all program managers to streamline and improve grant applications, implementation, administration, compliance, performance, and reporting requirements on all grants. Local and Tribal Public Health System Improvement Program—Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services ASTHO Vision Award, Second Place, Category B (Programs less than $250,000) ASTHO recognizes Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services for its efforts to improve Montana’s local and tribal public health infrastructure. As part of this work, the health agency has strengthened partnerships between the healthcare sector and public health agencies; accelerated the use of the Public Health Accreditation Board’s national standards for public health practice by state, local, and tribal public health agencies; and strengthened local boards of health. ASTHO Press Release Boilerplate website yes

ASTHO Recognizes State, Territorial, and National Leaders in Public Health ARLINGTON, VA—The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) presented several awards during its 2018 Annual Meeting this week to commend public health leaders for their service and dedication to improving our nation’s health. “On behalf of ASTHO, I am pleased to recognize this distinguished group of public health professionals who continuously strive to promote health and well-being in communities across the country,” says Karen McKeown, state health officer at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and ASTHO past president and chair of ASTHO’s Nominations, Awards, and Membership Committee. “We admire their commitment to raising the bar and ensuring that state and territorial health agencies play an active role in creating the conditions that allow us all to be healthy. We are grateful for the work of these dedicated individuals and for their contributions to the field of public health.” The 2018 ASTHO awardees include: Anne Schuchat, MD, Principal Deputy Director, CDC Ed Thompson Lifetime Achievement Medal Schuchat has been CDC’s principal deputy director since September 2015 and has played key roles in CDC emergency responses including the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, the 2003 SARS outbreak in Beijing, and the 2001 bioterrorist anthrax response. Upon completing 30 years of service in 2018, Schuchat retired from the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service at the rank of Rear Admiral. Karyl Rattay, MD, MS, Director of the Delaware Division of Public Health Arthur T. McCormack Award Rattay leads over 600 employees as state health officer and director of the Delaware Division of Public Health. As a board-certified pediatrician, Rattay has practiced pediatrics for nearly 14 years. Between 2001-2004, she served as a senior public health advisor to the U.S. Surgeon General and HHS Assistant Secretary of Health. Joan Duwve, MD, MPH, Associate Dean for Practice, Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health Noble J. Swearingen Award Duwve is the Associate Dean for Practice at the Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health in Indianapolis and the former chief medical officer at the Indiana State Department of Health. Duwve was a private practice family physician for 11 years. Prior to medical school, she served in the Peace Corps and worked in international public health in North Africa and the Middle East. Grant Baldwin, PhD, MPH, Director, Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention, CDC Injury Center National Excellence in Public Health Co-Award Baldwin began his career at CDC in September 1996. In his nearly 10 years of leadership at the Injury Center, he has helped raise the profile of motor vehicle injury prevention and scaled up CDC’s response to the prescription drug overdose epidemic. He has also advanced the work in older adult fall prevention and CDC’s efforts in the prevention of traumatic brain injury. Patricia Mitchell, MPH, Deputy Director, Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention, CDC Injury Center National Excellence in Public Health Co-Award Mitchell joined CDC’s Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention as deputy director in March 2014. After over 20 years in the agency’s diabetes division, Mitchell quickly got up to speed on pressing and high priority unintentional injury prevention topics, including opioid overdose, traumatic brain injury, transportation safety, and older adult falls. Jennifer Clarke, MD, MPH, FACP, Medical Programs Director, Rhode Island Department of Corrections State Excellence in Public Health Award Clarke led a treatment program for opioid addiction launched by the Rhode Island Department of Corrections, which was associated with a significant drop in post-incarceration drug overdose deaths and, ultimately, resulted in an overall drop in overdose deaths statewide. The first-of-its-kind program screens all Rhode Island inmates for opioid use disorder and provides addiction treatment medications for those in need. Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) 2018 Legislative Champion Award Blunt was elected to the United States Senate in 2010. He serves on the Appropriations Committee; the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee; the Select Committee on Intelligence; and the Senate Rules Committee. Before serving in Congress, he was a history teacher, a county official, and in 1984 became the first Republican elected as Missouri’s Secretary of State in more than 50 years. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) 2018 Legislative Champion Award Serving as a member of Senate Democratic leadership since 2007, Patty has established herself as a tireless and effective leader on education, transportation, budget issues, port security, healthcare, women, and veterans’ issues. She is currently Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Terry Dwelle, MD, FAAP ASTHO Alumni Award Dwelle served as the state health officer for the North Dakota Department of Health from 2001-2016. He was previously the clinical director for the Indian Health Service clinic at Fort Totten, an assistant professor of pediatrics, an infectious disease consultant, and a medical missionary to Central and East Africa. Dwelle is the founder and director of the North Dakota Public Health Training Network and serves as the alumni society representative on the ASTHO Board of Directors. de Beaumont Foundation ASTHO Partner Award The de Beaumont Foundation’s mission is to strengthen and transform public health in the United States. The foundation improves the effectiveness and capacity of local and state health departments through research, collaboration, and strategic grantmaking. Texas Department of State Health Services Model Policies and Practices Challenge Winner ASTHO, in partnership with the de Beaumont Foundation, recognizes Texas’ health department for its grand rounds program, an organization-wide strategy that encourages thought-provoking conversations around the science of public health. Since its inception in 2008, the program has hosted 132 presentations and engaged nearly 25,000 learners on topics ranging from human trafficking to food access/insecurity and Zika to illegal pain clinics.    San Francisco Department of Public Health Model Policies and Practices Challenge Winner ASTHO, in partnership with the de Beaumont Foundation, recognizes San Francisco’s health department for its trauma informed systems model, designed to create a healing public health system of care that fosters wellness and resilience for everyone in the system. In addition, ASTHO presented its 2018 Vision Awards to the Texas Department of State Health Services, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Tennessee Department of Health, and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. <!--Learn more about their award-winning programs here.--> ASTHO congratulates the 2018 award winners for demonstrating excellence in public health leadership and working tirelessly to protect and promote our nation’s health. ASTHO Press Release Boilerplate website yes

In this episode, two maternal healthcare veterans share approaches for bringing providers into the process, as well as how state health officials can promote risk appropriate care strategies and address challenges in achieving equitable risk appropriate care.

On this episode: public health on alert as the Ebola outbreak expands in Uganda; and David Lakey, MD (alumni-TX) tells us about lessons from 2014 when the Ebola virus made its way to Dallas, Texas.

Health Officials Combat Nation’s Maternal Mortality Rates ARLINGTON, VA—State and territorial health officials are assessing maternal care programs within their states to address the rise in maternal deaths across the nation. According to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Vital Signs report, each year more than 700 women in the United States die during pregnancy, delivery, or up to a year postpartum, with three out of every five of these deaths being preventable. The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and its members are committed to protecting the health of mothers through multidisciplinary efforts to address preventable deaths, such as closing gaps in access to quality preconception and prenatal care, care for chronic conditions, missed diagnoses, and maternal education. “Across the country, state and territorial health officials are continually analyzing women’s health data, programs, and outcomes to address and prevent maternal mortality and morbidity,” says Michael Fraser, CEO of ASTHO. “As with all public health issues, officials take this trend very seriously, and we know that tackling this issue involves addressing the unique social, economic, and healthcare challenges that impact women’s health on multiple levels in every state.” The causes of maternal mortality and morbidity vary widely, depending on many local factors and stage of pregnancy or post-pregnancy. For example, weakened heart muscles (cardiomyopathy) are the leading cause of death between one week and one year postpartum. Postpartum care, however, often focuses on the infant—not the mother. Providing and covering high-quality care for mothers the first year following birth would ensure prompt follow-up care and communication about issues like severe bleeding, high blood pressure, and infection. “The majority of deaths from pregnancy-related complications are absolutely preventable,” says Nicole Alexander-Scott, MD, MPH, director of the Rhode Island Department of Health and president of ASTHO. “We also know that significant racial and ethnic disparities exist in the rates of fatalities from pregnancy-related complications. Health systems, healthcare providers, and public health professionals need to continue taking measures to improve access to and coordination and delivery of quality care for all women, regardless of their ZIP code. We also need to engage patients and communities in this work so that everyone knows that their voice matters, and that they are being heard.” Many states are assessing maternal and perinatal levels of care and the standardized capabilities of individual hospitals to ensure pregnant women deliver at facilities equipped for a range of medical outcomes. Some of these efforts include: Indiana passed a perinatal levels of care law (SB 360) last year so the state health department could establish a program to certify perinatal levels of care designations for licensed hospitals and birthing centers. The Indiana State Department of Health also works alongside the Indiana Hospital Association, the Indiana Rural Health Association, and the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration’s Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning to investigate opportunities to keep rural hospitals and obstetric units open, as 35 of Indiana’s 92 counties either have no hospital or have a hospital without obstetric services. The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) established a multidisciplinary Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Task Force to review cases of pregnancy-related deaths and severe maternal morbidity, identify trends and disparities, examine best practices, and make recommendations to reduce the incidence of pregnancy-related deaths and severe maternal morbidity. Additionally, Texas DSHS is leading the statewide TexasAIM initiative to help hospitals and clinics in Texas carry out maternal safety projects. The North Carolina Maternal Mortality Review Committee identified significant racial disparities in maternal deaths, causing the state to place a greater emphasis on addressing the non-medical issues responsible for exacerbating these disparities. These efforts led to a reduction in disparities in pregnancy-related deaths over a 10-year period. North Carolina continues to work to confront the remaining increased risk of pregnancy-related deaths among black women. ASTHO Press Release Boilerplate website yes