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ASTHO Board Selects Michael Fraser to Serve as New Executive Director ARLINGTON, VA—The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) announced today that Michael Fraser, PhD, CAE, will serve as the organization’s executive director beginning in mid- or late-August 2016. Fraser has extensive experience leading public health and healthcare associations. Most recently he served as the executive vice president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Medical Society in Harrisburg, PA. During his tenure he worked with physician leaders to transform the Pennsylvania Medical Society into a dynamic, relevant and effective membership organization representing all of the state’s physicians. “I am very excited by this opportunity to continue ASTHO’s legacy of leadership for state public health well into the future,” said Fraser. “Collectively, state and territorial health officials are a driving force in safeguarding and promoting the health of our nation. ASTHO members make decisions every day that impact the health and well-being of millions of people across the country. I look forward to supporting state and territorial health officials’ critical role in the states and territories and forging close partnerships with local, state, national, and federal stakeholders that value ASTHO members’ efforts to improve the health of our nation.” In addition to nationally recognized work at the Pennsylvania Medical Society to address the state’s opioid misuse and drug abuse crisis, Fraser has been a distinguished leader in public health for almost twenty years. He served as CEO of the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) from 2007 to 2013, where his leadership was recognized nationally by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau’s Director’s Award in 2014. In addition the American Public Health Association’s MCH Section awarded AMCHP the Outstanding Leadership and Advocacy Award. Prior to joining AMCHP, Fraser was the deputy executive director of the National Association of County and City Health Officials from 2002 to 2007, and served in several capacities at the US Department of Health and Human Services, including positions at the Health Resources and Services Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Fraser received his doctorate in sociology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in May 1997 and his M.A. in sociology in 1994. He is currently pursuing a M.S. in Management, Strategy and Leadership from the Eli Broad School of Business at Michigan State University. Fraser received his B.A. in sociology from Oberlin College in 1991. Fraser was selected after an extensive search. The ASTHO Board of Directors hired Association Strategies to manage the search and appointed a Search Committee chaired by Terry Cline, PhD, Oklahoma Commissioner of Health and Secretary of Health and Human Services. The Search Committee put forward Fraser and the ASTHO Board, chaired by Edward Ehlinger, MD, MSPH, Minnesota Commissioner of Health, voted to extend an offer at ASTHO’s June board meeting. “Mike is the ideal person to lead ASTHO forward,” said Ehlinger. “He is a dynamic leader in the health field, and his experience leading both public health associations and medical societies will serve us well as these two health sectors become increasingly intertwined. His knowledge, wisdom, and personality will guide state and territorial health agencies through the challenges of today’s health landscape and position them for a vital leadership role in the future.” ASTHO Interim Executive Director Sharon Moffatt, BSN, MS will continue to play a leadership role on ASTHO staff and help lead and coordinate the transition to the new executive director. ASTHO Press Release Boilerplate website yes

ASTHO Executive Director Announces New Role at the March of Dimes ARLINGTON, VA—Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) Executive Director Paul E. Jarris, MD, MBA, has announced that he is stepping down at the end of this year. Jarris will assume a new Senior Vice President and Deputy Medical Officer role at the March of Dimes, effective Jan. 25, 2016. Dr. Jarris has served as ASTHO’s Executive Director for the past nine years, where he transformed ASTHO to become a premier institution vital to promoting and safeguarding health and wellness across the United States and territories. Under his guidance, ASTHO has become a leader in public health systems and services research and the authoritative source of information on state and territorial public health. At the March of Dimes, Jarris will lead a new Maternal and Child Health Program Impact department. He will have overall responsibility for the March of Dimes’ Prematurity Campaign, which addresses health equity and seeks to reduce the rate of preterm birth—a leading cause of death among babies in the United States. Jarris is passionate about children’s health. A notable achievement as Executive Director of ASTHO was his aligning the efforts of ASTHO and the March of Dimes to challenge states to lower their preterm birth rates. Together with David Lakey, MD, former ASTHO President and now at the University of Texas, they championed the 2012 ASTHO President’s Challenge on Healthy Babies. After years of climbing prematurity rates, the trend has reversed. This contribution has helped save thousands of lives and improved the health of many more infants. “I am excited to be joining the March of Dimes, an organization that has had as great an impact on public health as any organization in this country and around the world,” says Jarris. “Some of my most gratifying work at ASTHO were the partnerships we were able to build between state health agencies and the March of Dimes. I look forward to continuing this work. We have already made tremendous gains. Now is the time to seize that momentum and ensure that all moms and babies have the best chance possible for a healthy start to life.” Under Jarris’ leadership, ASTHO became integral to the national public health preparedness and response system. During the influenza H1N1 pandemic and Ebola emergency, ASTHO was key in representing state health interests to federal agencies, providing guidance and consistent risk information for the states, facilitating partnerships with the provider community, and helping negotiate ready availability of pandemic vaccine at chain pharmacies nationwide. Minnesota Commissioner of Health and ASTHO President Edward Ehlinger, MD, MSPH, remarked, “Paul Jarris helped elevate ASTHO to a true leadership position in America’s public health community. He now will be bringing his skills to the March of Dimes. I thank him for his numerous contributions to state and territorial public health and I look forward to working with him to improve the health of America’s mothers and babies.” During Jarris’ tenure, ASTHO expanded its staff from 45 to 110 and budget from 9 million to 30 million. ASTHO was recognized as a top-50 employer in the Washington, DC area by Washingtonian Magazine in 2013. Jarris is a recipient of numerous awards, including the American Academy of Family Physicians 2014 Public Health Award and has authored or co-authored over 50 publications. Prior to his appointment at ASTHO, he served as Commissioner of Health at the Vermont Department of Health from 2003 to 2006. ASTHO Press Release Boilerplate website yes

In this episode, three experts discuss the Federal Advisory Committee on Infant and Maternal Mortality’s most recent report on American Indian and Alaska Native health outcomes and the data-focused recommendations for states and territories.

The core value of public health is social justice. Our field must do more to address the inequities in our society and confront the racism that keeps all of us from being healthy.

This is the first national convening of the Strategies to Repair Equity and Transform Community Health (STRETCH) 2.0 initiative! Co-developed and hosted by ASTHO, CDC Foundation, and the Michigan Public Health Institute, this virtual convening includes a panel discussion with subject matter experts and connection time to begin relationship building across those working in the health equity space. The first session in these quarterly convenings is focused on authentic community engagement, building sustainable relationships between public health agencies and the communities they serve, and repairing fractured relationships between these agencies and marginalized communities.

ASTHO Awards Public Health Leaders for Outstanding Service ARLINGTON, VA—The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) honored public health leaders with several awards this week at its 2017 Annual Meeting in recognition of their outstanding service and dedication to improving state and territorial public health.  “On behalf of ASTHO, I am truly honored to present this year’s awards to a group of individuals who bring transformative leadership to the field of public health and embody a genuine desire to improve our nation’s health. Their accomplishments have made a difference in the lives of others, and we are inspired by their commitment to lead with compassion, integrity, and perseverance,” says ASTHO Executive Director Michael Fraser. The 2017 ASTHO awardees include:  Georges Benjamin, MD, executive director of the American Public Health Association Ed Thompson 2017 Lifetime Achievement Medal With over 35 years of experience in public health as a physician, state health official, and executive director of the American Public Health Association, Benjamin has inspired countless public health leaders and has been named among the 100 most influential people in healthcare. Michael Botticelli, executive director of the Grayken Center for Addiction Medicine at Boston Medical Center ASTHO 2017 Presidential Meritorious Service Award Botticelli, former director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, was the first person to hold this position while also in long-term recovery from a substance use disorder. Vivek Murthy, MD, 19th Surgeon General of the United States ASTHO 2017 Presidential Meritorious Service Award As surgeon general, Murthy created initiatives to tackle our country’s most urgent public health issues, including the first-ever Surgeon General’s report issuing a call to action on addiction as a chronic illness. Tom Frieden, MD, former director of CDC National Excellence Award On the national level, Frieden, who served as director of CDC from 2009-2017, led work to end the Ebola epidemic and control the largest outbreak of drug-resistant tuberculosis in the United States, among other initiatives. J. Patrick O’Neal, MD, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health State Excellence Award On the state level, O’Neal brings a great deal of medical and military experience to the public health community, greatly enriching ASTHO’s mission and the health of all Georgians. Paul Jarris, MD, chief medical officer for the March of Dimes ASTHO Alumni 2017 Award As a nationally recognized expert in healthcare policy, clinical quality initiatives, public health, and disease prevention and wellness, Jarris used his expertise to serve as commissioner of health at the Vermont Department of Health from 2003-2006 and ASTHO executive director from 2006-2016. Rep. Tom Cole, chair, House Labor, HHS and Education Appropriations Subcommittee 2017 ASTHO Legislative Champion Award Cole was elected to Congress in 2002 and is currently serving in his eighth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Cole has been supportive of important public health initiatives, such as the CDC’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness program. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, ranking member, House Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee 2017 ASTHO Legislative Champion Award DeLauro is the Congresswoman from Connecticut’s Third Congressional District. DeLauro spearheaded bipartisan legislation to raise awareness of gynecologic cancers and the WISEWOMAN program, and has supported food safety measures, youth tobacco use prevention, and mental health and substance abuse prevention. Edward Ehlinger, MD, commissioner of health for the Minnesota Department of Health Arthur T. McCormack 2017 Award In addition to directing the work of the Minnesota Department of Health, Ehlinger formerly served as ASTHO president, where he exemplified his dedication to advancing the important work of public health and improving health for all. Keith Yamamoto, MPA, deputy director of the Hawaii Department of Healt Noble J. Swearingen 2017 Award Yamamoto, a key member of ASTHO’s Senior Deputies Committee, has provided critical guidance and expertise in state and territorial public health leadership. In addition, ASTHO presented its 2017 Vision Awards and the de Beaumont Foundation PH WINS: Research to Action Model Policies and Practices Challenge Awards. ASTHO congratulates the 2017 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

State Health Officials to Congress: Act on Zika Funding Now ARLINGTON, VA—While Congress debates the future of federal funding for Zika preparedness and response, the Zika virus continues to spread. Rising case numbers and new information about long-term consequences of the infection highlight the urgency of mounting a major response. For the sake of our nation’s health, our representatives in Washington must come together and approve a bill to fund needed Zika preparedness response efforts and keep our nation’s public health infrastructure strong and secure. This national and state public health emergency requires a coordinated and properly resourced effort at the federal, state, and local levels. The nation’s state and territorial health officials stand ready to be part of that effort.   Zika virus is likely to continue to spread and is here to stay. While there is still much to learn about the virus and its health impacts, what we know already justifies an aggressive response. The virus has a potentially devastating impact on fetal development, and we are learning more about the risk of long-term health impacts for adults who become infected. We also know that federal agencies and state and territorial health departments are inadequately funded to respond to this crisis. There is an urgent need for additional resources to shore up mosquito control efforts, educate the public, increase public laboratory capacity, provide help to families with infants exposed to Zika, and follow up with pregnant women who may have been exposed to Zika at home or abroad. Due to the urgency of this threat, state and federal health agencies have been forced to divert resources from other critical public health programs to pay for Zika response. We agree that this robbing-Peter-to-pay-Paul approach, described by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Tom Frieden and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony S. Fauci in their August 31 Washington Post editorial, is the wrong way to fight the Zika epidemic. We need a focused, coordinated, and adequately funded response to Zika while continuing to support the other essential work health agencies do to protect the public. For this to happen, Congress must act now. “We urge Congress to recognize that this is a serious, nonpartisan threat and to come together to pass emergency funding so that the public health system can effectively respond to Zika while simultaneously preparing for myriad other health threats like Ebola, natural disasters, and the upcoming influenza season,” said ASTHO President and Minnesota Commissioner of Health Edward P. Ehlinger, MD, MSPH. In the absence of dedicated funding for Zika response, public health officials must fund Zika efforts by redirecting funds away from other important functions such as the all-hazards preparedness efforts of state and territorial health agencies that enable them to rapidly respond to public health emergencies of all kinds. This approach leaves us in a precarious position as Zika will not be the only public health emergency that state and territorial health agencies face. States are tasked with minimizing and mitigating the health effects of hurricanes, tornadoes, terrorist attacks, chemical spills, and all kinds of other manmade and natural emergencies. Preparation and response to Zika is a massive undertaking, and Congressional inaction is handcuffing states, limiting their ability to prepare and respond to emergency situations. It has been months since public health officials first began calling for Zika funding, and Congressional delay lays bare the inadequacy of America’s piecemeal approach to funding public health emergency responses. In addition to properly funding a Zika response, we also need to create a permanent, FEMA-style Public Health Emergency Fund to facilitate an immediate response to public health emergencies. Public health crises arise independent of the Congressional calendar, and such a fund would allow for a rapid response rather than redirecting public health funding from other critical priorities. Federal and state health agencies are obligated to protect health and wellness nationwide. We believe Congress is similarly obligated to support the critical health protection efforts in partnership with the states. As Drs. Frieden and Fauci stated, we should be working tirelessly to respond to and slow the spread of Zika infections and support those families whose newborns have been affected by this virus. We are ready to do that, but we need support from Congress now to make it happen. ASTHO Press Release Boilerplate website yes

The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials Challenges Members to Promote Health Equity and Health in All Policies ARLINGTON, VA—The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and ASTHO President and Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Edward Ehlinger have issued the 2016 ASTHO President’s Challenge: Advancing Health Equity and Optimal Health for All. The challenge is based on the Triple Aim of Health Equity, a framework weaving together three core elements of public health practice and policy which recognize that health status is influenced by a host of factors—most of them outside the healthcare system. The 2016 challenge calls upon states and territories to: (1) expand their understanding of what creates health, (2) implement a Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach with health equity as the goal, and (3) strengthen community capacity to create their own healthy future. The challenge encourages states and territories to broaden their approaches to advancing health equity and improving the health of all their residents by adopting the foundational public health practices embodied in the Triple Aim of Health Equity. The challenge will be to use these practices to address a policy, program, or activity issue within their jurisdictions in the next year. “The dominant narrative in America is that health is the responsibility of individuals until they get sick, and then health becomes the responsibility of the healthcare system,” Ehlinger says. “This outdated narrative allows little room for community or social influences, and its deficiency is clear when you look at the health disparities in this country and our overall health outcomes relative to other developed nations.” The challenge specifically targets health inequities that plague a number of groups that have been disadvantaged in America. As the nation becomes more diverse, the impact of unaddressed inequities will become more evident and alarming. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 50.4 percent of children 1 year of age and younger belong to a minority group as of July 2011. By 2044, a majority of the entire U.S. population will belong to a minority group. Yet research shows that minority populations are disproportionately affected by higher rates of poverty, decreased graduation rates, and food and housing insecurity—factors that decrease their opportunities to be healthy. The new challenge will use three core elements of public health practice that make up the Triple Aim of Health Equity approach to elevate the profile of advancing health equity and creating optimal health for all. ASTHO will support state and territorial health officials and partners who accept the challenge by providing technical assistance and support, sharing best practices and success stories, and facilitating information exchange and opportunities for collaboration around health equity and HiAP approaches. Ehlinger has recently presented on the challenge to CDC, the Institute of Medicine Committee on Community Based Solutions to Promote Health Equity in the United States, and multiple professional groups around the country. “The 2016 ASTHO President’s Challenge recognizes that good health does not begin with treating illness. Our health status arises from our everyday environments, activities, and the people around us,” says Sharon Moffatt, ASTHO interim executive director. “We are proud to work with Dr. Ehlinger to promote health equity and optimal health for all. When we build healthier communities, we all benefit.” In November, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy joined Ehlinger during the Health Equity in All Policies panel at the American Public Health Association’s 2015 Annual Meeting, where Murthy voiced his support for the new President’s Challenge. “Reducing disparities in health will give everyone a chance to live a healthy life and improve the quality of life for all Americans,” says Murthy. To learn more about the 2016 ASTHO President’s Challenge, visit: www.astho.org/Health-Equity/2016-Challenge. ASTHO Press Release Boilerplate website yes

Association of State and Territorial Health Officials Announces New Leadership Appointments SALT LAKE CITY—Edward Ehlinger, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Health, was elected president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) during the association’s annual meeting. Brenda Fitzgerald, commissioner for the Georgia Department of Public Health, was elected as secretary-treasurer at the same meeting. Jay Butler, chief medical officer and director of the Division of Public Health at Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, became president-elect. All appointments take effect immediately. Ehlinger has served as Minnesota’s health commissioner since January 2011. Previously, he was the director and chief health officer for Boynton Health Service at the University of Minnesota, as well as director of personal health services for the Minneapolis Health Department. He has been honored with the Albert Justus Chesley Award from the Minnesota Public Health Association, the Advancement of Justice Award from the Hennepin County Bar Association, the first Ed Ehlinger Award from CityMatCH, and the Physician Communicator Award from the Minnesota Medical Association. In Minnesota, he is famous for his “Pitch the Commissioner” tours, where he travels to different counties and invites their citizens to join him in a game of horseshoes as they share ideas about what their communities need to be healthy. Fitzgerald is a board-certified obstetrician-gynecologist and a fellow in anti-aging medicine. Prior to her current role as George’s health commissioner, Fitzgerald served on the Georgia OB-GYN Society’s board and as its president. She also worked as a healthcare policy adviser with House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Sen. Paul Coverdell. As a major in the U.S. Air Force, Fitzgerald served at the Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Michigan and the Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. In 2012, Fitzgerald led the launch of Georgia SHAPE, a childhood fitness and obesity reduction program that received formal commendation from the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition in 2014. Butler was appointed chief medical officer and director of the Division of Public Health at Alaska Department of Health and Social Services in 2014. Previously, he was senior director for community health services at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium in Anchorage, where he was also a clinical infectious diseases consultant and medical director for infection control and employee health. Butler served as a U.S. Public Health Service medical officer for more than 23 years, and participated in a number of emergency deployments, such as heading the H1N1 Vaccine Task Force at CDC and being a team co-leader during the CDC responses to the SARS outbreak of 2003, avian influenza in 2004, and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. In 2010, he received ASTHO’s National Excellence in Public Health Award.    Jewel Mullen, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health, became immediate past president; and Terry Cline, commissioner of the Oklahoma State Department of Health, became past president. All ASTHO offices are one-year positions. ASTHO Press Release Boilerplate website yes