Public Health leaders know that location matters and has a significant impact on an individual’s health—and initiatives that have the highest impact focus on localized conditions and speak directly to community needs. In this episode, guests examine the Health Equity Zone model and share what states can borrow from it to reimagine how they engage with communities.
This episode highlights how the current equity efforts can integrate with established performance management practices.
This episode highlights ASTHO’s President’s Challenge, “Building Health and Resilient Communities,” which is a multi-year campaign that calls on state, territorial, local, and tribal health officials to align strategic investments and promote community-driven, place-based solutions to empower communities to be as healthy as possible, reduce health disparities, and stimulate economic development. The challenge is aligned with the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and the U.S. Surgeon General’s focus on community health and economic prosperity.
Each year, nearly 700 women in the United States die from complications related to pregnancy or delivery. Three in five of these deaths can be prevented, but it involves a collaborative approach, including consistent care and cross-sector partnerships.
ASTHO Launches Public Health Podcast Series ARLINGTON, VA—The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) announced today the launch of Public Health Review, a podcast series featuring in-depth conversations with state and territorial health officials, national public health leaders, government officials, and other subject matter experts about the nation’s most pressing public health issues. The series highlights leaders who are working to promote wellness and prevent disease, injury, and premature death for all Americans. Public Health Review will capitalize on current public health issues as a platform for discussion, offering timely and thoughtful perspectives on the value of public health. “I am thrilled that my fellow colleagues, federal partners, and other public health leaders will be able to share their leadership experiences and impactful stories from working on the frontlines. Whether we’re working in urban centers or more rural areas, we are all in a position to teach and to learn,” says Nicole Alexander-Scott, MD, MPH, ASTHO president and director of the Rhode Island Department of Health. “Each podcast episode will feature interesting and illuminating discussions with health officials and other leaders on emerging topics. We’re excited that ASTHO’s podcast will serve as a forum for these critical conversations.” The Public Health Review podcast is available for listeners on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Google Play Music, Spotify, or via ASTHO’s website. Recent episodes available now feature discussions on several topics, including the opioid epidemic, sexually transmitted diseases, telehealth, early brain development, antimicrobial resistance, suicide prevention, and healthy and resilient communities, and more. For more information, visit ASTHO's podcast webpage. ASTHO Press Release Boilerplate website yes
ASTHO Launches National Campaign to Support Healthy Communities, Aligning with NACCHO and the U.S. Surgeon General ARLINGTON, VA—The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) announced this week the launch of a multi-year initiative to build healthier and more resilient communities across the country. The challenge, “Building Healthy and Resilient Communities,” will be led by ASTHO’s president and director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, Nicole Alexander-Scott, MD, MPH, in partnership with the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and aligned with the U.S. Surgeon General’s focus on community health and economic prosperity. The challenge calls on state, territorial, local, and tribal health officials to align strategic investments and promote community-driven, place-based solutions to empower communities to be as healthy as possible, reduce health disparities, and stimulate economic development. Examples of such initiatives include Rhode Island’s Health Equity Zones, Purpose Built Communities in Georgia, the Fort Worth Blue Zones Project, and Live Well San Diego. Activities to support the challenge will center on creating opportunities for health officials to mobilize community advocates and partners towards making lasting systems and policy changes that improve living conditions at the community level. Using this platform, ASTHO and its partners, along with NACCHO and the U.S. Surgeon General, will connect public health officials with business leaders, policymakers, and other cross-sector stakeholders to shift investments to promote sustainable, equitable community development. “Health officials have a critical role to play ensuring that everyone in every community has an equal opportunity to be as healthy as they can be, regardless of their zip code,” says Dr. Alexander-Scott. “My vision is for ASTHO, along with NACCHO and the U.S. Surgeon General, to empower all public health leaders to build stronger, more connected communities that have the assets and resources they need to create the conditions for success to be as healthy as possible. By funding and implementing sustainable strategies that are tailor-made for each community, we can amplify the community’s voice and transform public health for generations to come.” “America’s greatest assets are its communities, so we should turn to them more often,” says VADM Jerome Adams, MD, MPH. “We have the best healthcare system in the world, yet life expectancy in the United States is lower than in many other high-income countries. State and local health officials know their communities best and should be inspired to change the community environment to make sure that healthy behaviors are easy behaviors that are available to everyone.” “We’re pleased to lead this challenge with ASTHO and recognize there are great synergies between state and local health officials that will allow us to be successful in equipping and encouraging communities to think more strategically about health at the community level,” says Kevin Sumner, MPH, NACCHO president and health officer for the Middle-Brook Regional Health Commission in New Jersey. View ASTHO’s President’s Challenge for more information. ASTHO Press Release Boilerplate website yes
Public Health Leaders Note Great Progress in National Adult Smoking Rate Reduction, But More Needs to be Done ARLINGTON, VA—New data from CDC’s 2017 National Health Interview indicates that smoking rates among U.S. adults have hit an all-time low, with only 13.9 percent indicating they smoked last year. The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) believes that these findings represent a major public health success, but more work needs to be done, as cigarette smoking is responsible for almost 500,000 deaths each year and the toll of tobacco use on heart disease and cancer alone has resulted in extensive human suffering. For the past five decades, national public health leaders and state and territorial health departments have worked diligently to implement evidence-based practices and policies to curb tobacco use. ASTHO is pleased to see the positive results of these public health efforts, including evidence-based interventions such as smoke-free workplace policies, laws that increase the tobacco purchase age to 21, and state quitlines to help smokers quit, and increasing the cost of tobacco products. “Tobacco control is widely recognized as a priority by state public health leaders across the nation. State leaders have led the way by enacting evidence-based interventions that have made a difference,” says John Wiesman, president of ASTHO and secretary of health at the Washington State Department of Health. “However, we must address other tobacco related issues, such as e-cigarettes and vaping, and disparities like the high rates of tobacco use among individuals with behavioral health conditions, and challenge aggressive marketing practices targeting youth and minority communities where there is a greater prevalence of smoking, particularly those from lower income groups.” Continued tobacco control funding and implementation of evidence-based tobacco control policies are still needed at the state and territorial level. Cigarette smoking continues to be the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, but funding has been reduced from longstanding sources like tobacco taxes and Master Settlement agreement revenues. States are now on the front lines of reducing youth access to tobacco products and e-cigarettes that encourage addiction to nicotine. “While these declines are certainly encouraging, the battle is far from over,” says Nicole Alexander-Scott, president-elect of ASTHO and director of the Rhode Island Department of Health. “Big Tobacco continues to shamelessly target youth and lower income communities with their dangerous, highly addictive products. We cannot stop fighting until every single person has an equal opportunity to breathe free and thrive, no matter what ZIP code they live in, and no matter their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, level of education, level of income, or insurance status. Together, we absolutely can make this happen.” ASTHO Press Release Boilerplate website yes
John Wiesman Named ASTHO President ARLINGTON, VA—The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) announced the appointment of John Wiesman, secretary of health at the Washington State Department of Health, as ASTHO’s new president, effective Sept. 21. “I am thrilled to serve as president of this amazing organization and to help tackle the many public health challenges facing our country,” says Wiesman. “ASTHO is a non-partisan public health powerhouse and I look forward to working with states and territories to further achieve optimal health for all.” Wiesman has served as secretary of health for the Washington State Department of Health since April 2013. During his career, Wiesman has transformed health departments from providing individual clinical services to implementing policies, systems, and environmental changes that make healthy choices easier and less expensive. In Washington state, he is working to create the healthiest next generation, end AIDS, reduce suicide deaths, and identify and fund foundational public health services across the state. Wiesman is a native of Wisconsin and has worked in four local public health departments in Washington and Connecticut. He started his public health career in Connecticut in 1986 and was in one of the first groups trained to provide HIV counseling and testing. He earned his Doctorate of Public Health in public health executive leadership from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 2012. He received a Master of Public Health in chronic disease epidemiology from Yale University in 1987 and his Bachelor of Arts degree in biology from Lawrence University in Wisconsin in 1983. “We are extremely honored to have Dr. Wiesman serve as our new president. He has a breadth of experience, he is a wonderful mentor, and he walks the talk,” says Michael Fraser, executive director of ASTHO. “As a local health department director, he understands the urgent need to address specific community health problems and his statewide perspective as secretary gives him the point of view an ASTHO president needs to inform national policy on behalf of states. I am truly excited to work with and learn from John in the year ahead.” Other ASTHO leaders elected at the meeting include Nicole Alexander-Scott, director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, who will serve as president-elect, and Gerd Clabaugh, director at the Iowa Department of Public Health, who will serve as secretary-treasurer. ASTHO Press Release Boilerplate website yes
On July 27, 2022, Nicole Alexander-Scott, MD, MPH, joined ASTHO as a senior executive consultant. Alexander-Scott is a former Rhode Island Department of Health Director and former ASTHO President, she will support states and territories in capacity building focused on health equity.
On Jan. 14, 2020, ASTHO members from Rhode Island and Massachusetts testified before a House subcommittee on state efforts to address the opioid epidemic.
Walgreens and Rite Aid Make Good Public Health Move on Raising Age to Purchase Tobacco, but More Is Needed ARLINGTON, VA—Nicole Alexander-Scott, MD, MPH, director of the Rhode Island Department of Health and president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), issued the following statement after Walgreens and Rite Aid announced plans to raise the minimum age to buy tobacco products to 21 in drugstores across the country. “Limiting tobacco sales to those 21 and older is an important step in the right direction for national drugstore chains. ASTHO strongly urges these companies to now explore additional steps they can take, such as prohibiting sales of all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. Tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the United States and is a major contributor to high rates of premature birth. Worse yet, because of Big Tobacco’s shameless marketing and sales strategies, rates of use are highest in low-income neighborhoods and among people with substance use disorders and those experiencing other behavioral health challenges. It is critical that we work collaboratively with industry leaders, government officials, and the public to prevent anyone from becoming addicted to tobacco in the first place, with a special focus on youth. We need to ensure that every single person in every community has an equal opportunity to breathe free and thrive." ASTHO Press Release Boilerplate website yes
State and Local Health Officials at the Capitol to Urge Congress to Prioritize Funding for Public Health ARLINGTON, VA—Over 80 state, local, and territorial health officials from across the country will meet with members of congress on Capitol Hill together on March 13, 2019. The aim of their visits is to share the critical need to sustain investments in public health agencies that protect and promote the health of all Americans and prevent sequester cuts in the FY20 budget. This is the first-time members of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and the National Association of County & City Health Officials (NACCHO) will combine their annual Hill Days to show a collective voice for governmental public health at the Capitol. Public health leaders are concerned about the impact of the potential $55 billion cut to non-defense discretionary spending that will happen in FY2020 if Congress does not act to prevent it. ASTHO and NACCHO strongly urge Congress to work in a bipartisan manner to raise FY2020 budget caps and provide needed funding for non-defense discretionary programs, and support increasing CDC’s budget 22 percent by FY22. “Our entire governmental public health system is strained. My colleagues are on the ground dealing with several measles outbreaks, the opioid epidemic, and natural disaster recovery, all while continuing the core work of disease prevention—especially at the community level. Unfortunately, we are consistently underfunded and must do more with less. As a nation, we must do better and prioritize investing in public health,” says Nicole Alexander-Scott, MD, MPH, ASTHO president and director of the Rhode Island Department of Health. “Every person and every community should have the opportunity to be as healthy as possible. As part of ASTHO’s President’s Challenge, additional federal resources will help equip health officials to mobilize community-led, place-based collectives to improve the way we live, work, and play.” “In the decade since the Great Recession, public health departments have lost about a fifth of their workforce due to funding issues and recovery has been slow at best. We see the impact of these resource losses on the health and well-being of our communities every day. In so many areas of public health, we know what works, but we don’t have the resources to ensure that all Americans, no matter where they live, have access to the same basic public health infrastructure, services, and protections,” says Kevin Sumner, NACCHO president and health officer/director for the Middle-Brook Regional Health Commission. “So much of our public health system operates silently in the background. By joining together on Capitol Hill, we will amplify our voice and spread the message of the importance of governmental public health in all sectors.” For more information on ASTHO’s advocacy priorities, visit http://www.astho.org/Advocacy-Materials. For more information about the President’s Challenge, visit http://www.astho.org/ASTHO-Presidents-Challenge/2019. For more information on NACCHO’s advocacy priorities, visit https://www.naccho.org/uploads/downloadable-resources/flyer_legislativeagenda_2019.pdf. ASTHO Press Release Boilerplate NACCHO Boilerplate website yes
Interview with Gina M. Raimondo, former governor of Rhode Island, to learn more about a Rhode Island Department of Corrections initiative that helps prevent and treat addiction among incarcerated individuals and other statewide efforts to combat the opioid epidemic.
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
ASTHO Celebrates National Public Health Week ARLINGTON, VA—The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) joins the American Public Health Association (APHA) to observe National Public Health Week, recognizing the contributions of public health professionals to create a healthier nation. Each day, National Public Health Week will focus on a particular public health topic, including violence prevention, rural health, and healthy communities, which resonates with the 2019 ASTHO President’s Challenge, “Building Healthy and Resilient Communities.” This multiyear initiative, led by ASTHO’s president and director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, Nicole Alexander-Scott, MD, MPH, in partnership with the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and aligned with the U.S. Surgeon General’s focus on community health and economic prosperity, calls on state, territorial, local, and tribal health officials to promote investments in community-led, place-based solutions to empower communities and reduce health disparities. “This year, we join APHA in celebrating advancements in public health and bring a renewed focus to the important role state and territorial health departments play in promoting health, wellness, safety, and opportunity in our communities,” says Alexander-Scott. “ASTHO commends APHA for placing an emphasis on healthy communities during National Public Health Week. We all have a responsibility to make the critical effort necessary to ensure optimal health for everyone in every community, especially our most vulnerable. Here in Rhode Island, as well as in Georgia, California, Texas, and states across the nation, initiatives are already underway that are creating opportunities for public health to partner with community advocates, policymakers, business leaders, and others to make lasting changes that transform the health of the entire population. Empowering decisionmakers to make health a priority plays a critical role in this work. By working together, we can create the type of strong public health system promoted by the ASTHO President’s Challenge and build healthy, resilient communities across the nation.” View ASTHO’s 2019 President’s Challenge for more information. Visit APHA to learn more about National Public Health Week. ASTHO Press Release Boilerplate website yes
Health Officials Alarmed by Declining U.S. Vaccination Rates, Country Could Face Scenario Like Europe's Measles Outbreak ARLINGTON, VA—The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) is concerned about the latest skepticism and resistance originating from the anti-vaccination movement, especially as we enter another deadly flu season. Health officials are alarmed that this pushback may put our country at risk for significant infectious disease outbreaks and their related health consequences, including death, because of declining vaccination rates. “Vaccines prevent diseases,” says Nicole Alexander-Scott, ASTHO president and director of the Rhode Island Department of Health. “It is absolutely paramount that public health and healthcare professionals across the nation join together to share the facts about the safety and efficacy of vaccines. The health concerns that parents have over the risks of vaccination need to be addressed with compassion and with care, but also with facts so that informed decisions can be made, and so that people can protect themselves and their loved ones from dangerous, vaccine-preventable diseases.” Last year’s flu season was one of the deadliest in years, with a record-breaking estimated 960,000 hospitalizations and nearly 80,000 deaths in the United States. “It is unconscionable to see a child or adult suffer from any vaccine-preventable disease because an individual decides against immunization based on bad information and unsupported claims,” says Michael Fraser, CEO of ASTHO. “Parents with vaccination concerns should consult a healthcare provider, as they have spent years in training to understand the science behind vaccines and have seen countless studies proving they are safe.” There are some risks associated with vaccines, but they are not what the anti-vaccination movement claims. “The false science being spread erodes trust in the public health system. Clearly, the anti-vaccination movement is taking advantage of the current climate of government distrust and the trend toward believing political statements over scientific ones to question vaccine safety. At a time when investments in public health resources have been declining, recent reports from CDC about declining vaccination rates in the United States and a widespread measles outbreak in Europe should be of great concern to all Americans,” continues Fraser. “What’s really unsafe here are the cuts to public health programs that support vaccine education and immunization nationwide,” says Claire Hannan, executive director of the Association of Immunization Managers. “Our members see the disease outbreaks. They see the devastating impact of decisions not to vaccinate. There is no question that their benefits exponentially outweigh any risks associated with their administration. Let’s get real: we didn’t make great advances in life expectancy and disease elimination without vaccines. It’s not even a question.” ASTHO Press Release Boilerplate website yes
Rhode Island Health Director Nicole Alexander-Scott, MD, MPH, Named ASTHO President ARLINGTON, VA—The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) announced the appointment today of Nicole Alexander-Scott, MD, MPH, director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, as ASTHO’s new president, effective Sept. 27. “I am incredibly excited to serve as president of this amazing organization and to have an opportunity to collaborate with so many talented and dedicated public health leaders,” says Dr. Alexander-Scott. “I look forward to working with states and territories to help address the many public health challenges we face today, so we can ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to be as healthy as possible, and to live in as healthy a community as possible, no matter what you look like, what you sound like, or where you live.” Dr. Alexander-Scott has served as director of the Rhode Island Department of Health since April 2015. She is the first African-American individual to serve as Rhode Island’s top health official. She was elected ASTHO president-elect in September 2017. During her career, Dr. Alexander-Scott worked as a specialist in infectious diseases for children and adults, previously an associate professor of pediatrics, medicine, and public health (with a focus on health services, policy, and practice) at Brown University. She is board certified in pediatrics, internal medicine, pediatric infectious diseases, and adult infectious diseases. In Rhode Island, Dr. Alexander-Scott has made it a priority to address health equity, with the conviction that every person and every community should have an equal opportunity to be as healthy as possible. She has emerged as a leading voice committed to addressing community-level determinants of health, such as education, housing, transportation, and employment, so that a person's health does not depend on their ZIP code. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Dr. Alexander-Scott attended Cornell University, majoring in human development and family studies. She subsequently graduated from SUNY Upstate Medical University at Syracuse in 2011. After completing a combined internal medicine-pediatrics residency at SUNY Stony Brook University Hospital in 2005, Dr. Alexander-Scott finished a four-year combined fellowship in adult and pediatric infectious diseases at Brown in 2009. She holds a master’s degree in public health from Brown University. “We are thrilled to have Dr. Alexander-Scott serve as our new president. Her experience addressing the social determinants of health in Rhode Island has been a true inspiration for all of us who work in public health,” says Michael Fraser, chief executive officer of ASTHO. “We look forward to her continued work in this area with this year’s ASTHO President’s Challenge, ‘Building Healthy and Resilient Communities.’ In public health, we often talk about moving upstream and addressing health disparities. Nicole’s tremendous leadership at the Rhode Island Department of Health really exemplifies what is meant by this. I look forward to working with and learning from Nicole in the year ahead.” Nate Smith, director of the Arkansas Department of Health, will serve as ASTHO president-elect. ASTHO Press Release Boilerplate website yes
State and Territorial Health Leaders Commend Selection of John Wiesman as Co-Chair of Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS ARLINGTON, VA—The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) commends HHS Secretary Azar for appointing John Wiesman, immediate past president of ASTHO and Washington State Secretary of Health, to serve as co-chair of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). “Both as a clinician caring for patients with HIV and as a policymaker working to eliminate the disease, I have witnessed firsthand John’s commitment, passion, and expertise when it comes to HIV. He is supremely qualified to co-chair the reconstituted Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS and will lead bold public health actions to stop HIV,” says Nicole Alexander-Scott, ASTHO President and director of the Rhode Island Department of Health. “State and territorial health leaders throughout the country are committed to collaborating with the council to implement its recommendations. It is through these efforts at the federal, state, and local levels that we can bring an end to this disease that affects so many communities throughout the country.” Wiesman was the president of ASTHO from 2017-2018 and has served as secretary of health for the Washington State Department of Health since April 2013. Wiesman began his public health career in 1986 as an HIV/AIDS test counselor in Connecticut where he was a member of the first group of people in the state trained to conduct HIV counseling and testing services. Today, he is working in Washington state to end AIDS, create the healthiest next generation, and expand foundational public health services across the state. Wiesman is a native of Wisconsin and has worked in four local public health departments in Washington state and Connecticut. He earned his doctor of public health (DrPH) in public health executive leadership in 2012 from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. He received his master of public health (MPH) in chronic disease epidemiology from Yale University in 1987, and his bachelor of arts (BA) in biology from Lawrence University in Wisconsin in 1983. ASTHO Press Release Boilerplate website yes
ASTHO President States Third Year of Declining Life Expectancy is a “Wake-Up Call” ARLINGTON, VA—Suicides and drug overdoses caused life expectancy in the United States to fall again in 2017. In what is the longest downward trend since World War I, Americans born in 2017 are expected to live 78.6 years, down slightly from the previous year, according to new data from CDC. The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) finds this decline extremely alarming since life expectancy is a key indicator of our nation’s overall health. We must do more to target the preventable conditions that are cutting short the lives of too many Americans, including heart disease, diabetes, drug overdoses, suicide, and influenza. “Sadly, our nation is in the midst of a public health crisis driven largely by suicides and the opioid epidemic, which we know are responsible for these year-over-year declines in life expectancy. One way to start reversing this trend is for state and territorial health agencies to partner with communities to address critical underlying issues, such as access to behavioral healthcare, education, employment, and social isolation. When we are trying to weather life’s storms, there is nothing more important than the support we have from our community, and the relationships we have with the people in our lives,” says Nicole Alexander-Scott, president of ASTHO and director of the Rhode Island Department of Health. “Many states and communities are working hard to assist individuals and families experiencing diseases of despair, but an issue most jurisdictions face is limited resources to identify people at risk for suicide or drug misuse early on and connect them to the appropriate services. A decline in our life expectancy rates should be a wake-up call for us to mobilize resources and strengthen our resolve to prevent these tragedies from happening.” ASTHO Press Release Boilerplate website yes
ASTHO Celebrates Women’s History Through the Decades ASTHO, association of state and territorial health officials, public health infrastructure, vice president, population health, health science, health system, public health workers, american women, career path, environmental health, public health mph, national women s history, international women s day, public health careers, health education specialist, week of march, history month, master of public health, black women, women s history week, women s history, public health work, public health leadership, woman president, public health practitioner, racism and sexism, public health system, women s history month, women leaders, women in public health Kimberlee Wyche Etheridge ASTHO | Celebrating ASTHO's past, present, and future of women in leadership. With a movie ticket costing $2.50 and gas hovering at $1.10 / gallon, the year 1984 ushered in many new eras. Apple debuted the Macintosh personal computer with its Superbowl commercial based on George Orwell’s dystopic novel in the Winter. Over the next generation, this technology would change the way we interact with the world. Prince’s Purple Rain and the accompanying concert-type movie were released, ushering in a new generation of forever fans. Space travel catapulted into the future with the launch of the space shuttle Discovery, which flew an additional 38 times. Childhood hunger took center stage with the release of the benefit song, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” by Band Aid, which would sell millions of copies and raise millions of dollars. It was the Eighties—a key decade in U.S. history. It also marked a critical first in ASTHO’s history. ASTHO has a long history of pioneering women leaders. Below, you'll find several of them whose work has inspired mine. (Read the full list of ASTHO's women presidents.) 1980s After 42 years of public health work and leadership, ASTHO elected its first woman president—Kristine Moore Gebbie, DrPH, RN (alumni-WA)—in 1984. Gebbie was an educator who taught generations of nursing students around the world. She was a public health practitioner and served as Secretary of Washington State’s Department of Health. Her legacy highlights the importance of working across multiple levels of government and healthcare agencies, especially as it relates to preparedness. As ASTHO president, she was a trailblazer, best known for her commitment to work focused on AIDS. While in this role, she was tapped to serve as the first White House AIDS Policy Coordinator. She received numerous awards and accolades from many different organizations, including the American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA). 1990s In 1992, Joycelyn Elders, MD (alumni-AR) also celebrated a first—becoming ASTHO’s first African American woman president. Elders served as the Director of the Arkansas Department of Health. Her public health accomplishments include reducing teen pregnancy in her state, increasing early childhood screenings as well as the percent of children immunized at 24 months. During her time in Arkansas, she was recruited to serve as Surgeon General, where she became the first African American—and only the second woman—to hold the post. She contended with both racism and sexism while in the job, and despite criticism and waning support from the administration, she stayed true to her public health beliefs. She fervently believed that poverty plays a critical role in public health crises such as teen pregnancy, and that education is as an essential strategy to breaking the cycle of poverty. She became the first person to be board certified in pediatric endocrinology. She has published more than 100 papers focused primarily on juvenile diabetes and adolescent health. 2000s Known for saving many lives by successfully cutting smoking rates by one-third during her time as Washington State Secretary of Health, Mary Selecky (alumni-WA) served as ASTHO president in 2003 and 2004. She holds the title as one of the nation’s longest serving secretaries of health having worked under three governors. During her time as the top state health official, Selecky moved Washington to become one of the first state health agencies to receive national accreditation. Childhood immunization rates in the state catapulted from among the bottom in the nation to in the top third. She worked to improve the state’s public health system after a 2001 earthquake. As ASTHO president, Selecky worked to elevate ASTHO’s status as a vital partner after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. She worked to ensure that public health preparedness funds were granted to health departments. 2010s Jewel Mullen, MD, MPH (alumni-CT) was serving as the Commissioner for the Connecticut Department of Public Health when she was elected President of ASTHO in 2014. During her time in Connecticut, Mullen focused on the state’s public health system, specifically chronic disease prevention programs and improving coordination between public health and medical care. She was also a crucial figure in bringing the community to the public health table. She created an Office of Health Equity Research, Evaluation and Policy while in her role to ensure integration of health equity in the states programming. Mullen used her ASTHO presidential challenge to highlight healthy aging and issue a call to action to help older adults live and age well in their communities. Through her Presidential Challenge, states committed to healthy and safe community environments, injury and falls prevention, empowered people, Alzheimer’s plan, active living, and clinical and community preventive services. Nicole Alexander-Scott, MD, MPH (alumni-RI) was elected ASTHO president in 2018. In that role, she led a presidential initiative encouraging state, local, tribal, and territorial health departments to build healthier, more resilient communities through community-led, place-based approaches. This initiative mobilized strategic investments to address socioeconomic and environmental determinants of health to transform systems and policies in ways to empower local communities. Alexander-Scott has also worked as a specialist in infectious diseases for children and adults. She is board certified in pediatrics, internal medicine, pediatric infectious diseases, and adult infectious diseases, and served as faculty at Brown University in pediatrics, medicine, and public health (with a focus on health services, policy, and practice). She continues to work with ASTHO to promote health equity. 2020s Rachel Levine, MD (alumni-PA) served as president of ASTHO in 2020. She is the first openly transgender woman to serve in the role. Levine is a pediatric and adolescent medicine physician and an educator. In 2015, while practicing clinical medicine at the Penn State Hershey Medical Center, she was nominated by the governor-elect to serve as Pennsylvania’s physician in general. Two years later, she was named as Pennsylvania Secretary of Health. Levine led the state through the COVID-19 public health response and helped the state respond to the growing opioid epidemic. While serving as ASTHO president, the White House nominated Levine to serve as Assistant Secretary for Health. She achieved another first when she was commissioned as the first woman four-star admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. She remains a strong advocate for the well-being of LGBTQI+ youth. Continuing in this strong tradition of trailblazing women in leadership, Anne Zink, MD (SHO-AK) took the reins as ASTHO President in September 2022. Zink plans to focus her presidency on improving health information systems to empower the public, healthcare providers, and the public health workforce with the tools and information they need to promote individual and population health. There are others who have helped pave the way for future women leaders at ASTHO. This month of March, we celebrate all the past, present, and future women who have served as Presidents of ASTHO. We are because they were. ASTHO's Women Presidents: 2023 Anne Zink, MD, FACEP (SHO-AK) 2021 Rachel Levine, MD (alumni-PA) 2019 Nicole Alexander-Scott, MD, MPH (alumni-RI) 2015 Jewel Mullen, MD, MPH, (alumni-CT) 2009 Judith Monroe, MD (alumni-IN) 2007 Mary M. Hansen, RN, PhD (alumni-IA) 2006 Leah Devlin, DDS, MPH (alumni-NC) 2004 Mary C. Selecky (alumni-WA) 2003 Mary C. Selecky (alumni-WA) 2000 Patricia A. Nolan, MD, MPH (alumni-RI) 1993 Molly Coye, MD (alumni-CA) 1992 M. Joycelyn Elders, MD (alumni-AR) 1990 Suzanne Dandoy, MD (alumni-VA) 1985 Joan K. Leavitt, MD (alumni-OK) 1984 Kristine Gebbie, RN (alumni-WA) website yes