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North Dakota Lead Exposure Outreach Program North Dakota Develops Tribal Communication Plan to Support Lead Poisoning Prevention Learn how North Dakota's lead prevention team built strong partnerships with tribal communities in this blog post. Madison Novosel, Paula Comeau Tribal Communication Plan Partnerships with local jurisdictions are crucial to the effectiveness of the North Dakota Lead Prevention Program. This collaboration enhances the depth and sustainability of the community outreach. One priority after transitioning the program from the Department of Environmental Quality to North Dakota Health and Human Services was to connect with local public health units and ensure they were informed about the change. When reaching out to local partners, the lead prevention team realized that there was not a document that clearly outlined who the correct contacts were between tribal communities and state agencies for lead-related events. Recognizing this gap led the team to develop a communication plan to strengthen coordination between the tribal and state lead prevention programs with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s environmental health official. This communication plan established points of contact between the state program and tribal government officials if a lead-related event were to occur involving tribal members or on tribal land. It clearly charted out the corresponding contacts for specific scenarios, which included: A tribal community member who lives on or off the reservation receives an elevated blood lead result. A tribal community member in the Head Start Program receives an elevated blood lead result. An environmental assessment or remediation is requested/needed on tribal lands. Tribal government officials are interested in hosting a screening event or identifying a screening clinic. Community Engagement The outreach to Standing Rock resulted in more opportunities for collaboration. NDHHS staff were invited to attend a community health event at the local high school. This opportunity revealed a gap in the state lead program; no formal outreach guidelines had been developed yet, as the program was (and still is) in its infancy. The team began to create a lead prevention curriculum guide to be used for low-cost outreach activities at the state and local level. The activities range from interactive lead-safe nutrition games to identifying potential lead hazards in a model home. The team was able to pilot one of the activities in the curriculum guide at the Standing Rock Community High School’s “Walk for Wellness.” Students and community members were asked to play a game that teaches dietary tips for preventing lead poisoning for a prize. Over 30 students and 10 community members came to the table to learn about lead prevention and have open discussions around environmental health. This engagement not only strengthened connections between NDHHS and the Standing Rock community, but also expanded education on lead poisoning prevention to a new population. Future Impact Attending the Walk for Wellness event enhanced collaboration with local public health staff also participating in the event. These in-person conversations offered firsthand insight into the challenges rural communities are facing in accessing care and lead testing. The team walked away with a better understanding of what needs to be addressed to support an increase in statewide lead screening, as well as deeper connections with new and existing partners. The lead outreach team at NDHHS will continue to seek more opportunities to conduct outreach efforts throughout the state, including other tribal communities. While spreading lead prevention education through outreach is important, having the opportunity to connect with those in communities face-to-face around the state is invaluable. These connections are essential to decreasing the burden of lead exposure across North Dakota. article yes

Learn about the art of storytelling in public health and how to tell stories to secure support/funding for critical public health initiatives.

Strengthening Public Health Communication: Oklahoma’s Strategy and Lessons Learned ASTHO Staff Communications is a foundational capability for all health departments, essential for supporting public health protections, programs, and activities that ensure community well-being and promote equitable outcomes. To educate their communities and encourage healthy behaviors, health departments must communicate clearly and effectively. After COVID-19, the Oklahoma State Department of Health revisited and modernized its communication strategies. This video shares their journey, including the process they followed, best practices they adopted, outcomes achieved, and lessons learned—offering valuable insights for other Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) recipients aiming to enhance their communications capabilities. OE22-2203 PHIG article yes

Strengthening Leadership, Risk Communications, and Preparedness in the Islands Strengthening Public Health Preparedness in the Islands Sidnie Christian, Alyssa Boyea Key strategies in on leadership, risk communications, and preparedness, can help island jurisdictions prepare for and respond to emerging public health threats. ASTHO convened a two-day, in-person workshop in Honolulu from June 25 – 26, bringing together public health preparedness staff from American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Hawaiʻi, the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), and Palau, as well as federal partners from CDC, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. The workshop focused on leadership and workforce development, risk communications, administrative preparedness, and more to support island areas as they prepare for and respond to natural disasters and other emerging public health threats, of which emerged key learnings that can benefit all island jurisdictions. Leadership and Workforce Development Leading through change requires transparency, trust, and collaboration. Planned change involves assessing readiness for change, identifying resources needed, securing buy-in, and determining a path forward. However, sometimes change can leave little to no time for preparation. Island jurisdictions have encountered challenges in the face of change, with many workshop participants sharing firsthand challenges around retaining institutional knowledge, infrastructure, and receiving assistance from the mainland United States in a timely fashion. As such, change readiness, succession planning, and effective change management practices are of utmost importance in the islands. Key recommendations and takeaways include: Utilizing a reputable framework, such as Kotter 8-Step Change Model, is pivotal for improving change readiness and change management. Change management frameworks and methods can assist with different types of change including structural change, strategic operational change, people-centric change, etc. Trust is hard to build, but easy to lose. Participants spoke about characteristics of high trust relationships including open communication, consistency, good judgement or expertise, and cultural sensitivity, while low trust relationships characteristics include lack of communication, inconsistency, and lack of teamwork. Succession planning is important to ensure institutional knowledge and capabilities remain in the wake of staff turnover or retirement. Identifying the necessary expertise, skills, and capabilities for each role is vital in the case of unplanned changes in staffing. Promising practices include annual review of critical positions, conducting talent calibration sessions, defining action plans, and obtaining buy-in from leadership and relevant partners. Risk Communications The island jurisdictions face emergencies that require creative response efforts. Both Hawaiʻi and RMI demonstrated innovative approaches in risk communications during COVID-19, finding success in forming critical partnerships, utilizing trusted voices within the community, and bridging communication gaps: Hawaiʻi utilized social media to showcase individuals such as doctors, pastors, social media influencers, and even local sports teams getting vaccinated, and utilized trusted voices to deliver messages. Additionally, they translated their materials into three languages (Marshallese, Samoan, and Hawaiʻian), modeling that no one gets forgotten, the true meaning of “ohana.” RMI created a working group with a mix of partners that curated press releases, educational materials, and sitreps, and served as a liaison between RMI Ministry of Health and Human Services and the community. It also partnered with several media outlets (e.g., radio stations, local papers, and other private sectors) and utilized mass text messaging to spread information quickly. The latter proved to resonate with most island jurisdictions who struggle with staying connected to hard-to-reach populations, namely those in more rural and disconnected communities. RMI was able to connect with these populations through WhatsApp to keep them updated throughout the COVID-19 response. Administrative Preparedness Improving administrative preparedness plans and processes ensure timely and efficient access to needed resources for a public health response. Most workshop participants are currently in the process of updating existing administrative preparedness plans, while some are working with other departments to create and implement new plans. Attendees discussed key partnerships for collaboration including other departments, Medical Reserve Corps, and other volunteer organizations. One common key challenge that emerged was around staffing (e.g., finding qualified people to fill vacancies, hiring process issues, making sure positions are competitive, etc.). To address this issue, island jurisdictions can work closely with other departments or jurisdictional agencies to streamline current processes, establish memorandums of understanding with different partners/facilities to assist with emergency procurement, and ensuring staffing vacancies are competitive and match public health classifications. Disease Forecasting A survey on state and territorial expertise and needs for infectious disease forecasts, models, and other outbreak analytic techniques—implemented by ASTHO with support from CDC’s Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics—revealed that respondents from island jurisdictions experienced several barriers that led to limited use of infectious disease forecasts to inform communication and decision making. Challenges noted include limited software access, limited disease modeling capacity or skills, and lack of uniform reporting systems. Through a discussion-based exercise, workshop participants shared their challenges and considerations for ASTHO and CDC to assist with disease forecasting in the island jurisdictions moving forward. Challenges include but are not limited to: Delays with sending samples to labs and receiving results in a timely manner. Without timely results, it is challenging to take swift action. Lack of staff / staff wearing many hats with limited capacity. In most cases, there is no specific communication plan for disease forecasting within the departments. Communication can be challenging without clear processes and channels. Participants noted the desire for additional disease forecasting training and opportunities for collaboration. They suggested an integrated training session with island epidemiologists and other relevant staff to enhance disease forecasting knowledge and communication, as well as strengthen collaboration. Preparing for and Responding to Climate Events From hurricanes to typhoons to volcanic eruptions, the island jurisdictions are no strangers to the effects of changing climate. Willliam “Brandon” Aydlett, science and operations officer at the National Weather Service, and Shelbi Davis, Senior Analyst on the Environmental Health team at ASTHO, offer the following recommendations to island jurisdictions for preparing and responding to unprecedented climate events, as discussed with workshop participants: Create or update standard operating procedures for various climate related responses unique to the island. Always prepare for a category higher storm than is expected. Consider conducting regular vulnerability assessments to better understand areas where the island or its people may be most susceptible to adverse health impacts from climate events. Jurisdictions can learn from one another and find a sense of camaraderie in their preparedness efforts, much like the workshop participants. For example, one island jurisdiction noted that they currently do not have a warehouse to store equipment but are working on a plan to secure one; another jurisdiction, having recently revamped their warehouse, noted that they could assist their island neighbor in this endeavor and provide lessons learned as well as strategies to help secure a warehouse that will fit their needs. Looking Toward the Future Sharing lessons learned with one another and reflecting on how to apply those learnings in respective communities is crucial. Workshop participants shared their intent to share and utilize resources and information shared throughout the workshop with their leadership and team to begin implementing in their jurisdictions, as well as using strategies and skills learned to enhance partnerships. To all the participants and our Hawaiʻian hosts, we say mahalo. Related Resources Modernizing Infrastructure and Facilities for Readiness and Response | ASTHO PH-HERO Workforce Resource Center | ASTHO ASTHO STAR Center | ASTHO Evidence-Based Strategies to Enhance Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response | JPHMP article yes

Case investigators and contact tracers must understand and adapt to the culture of people with COVID-19 to conduct effective interviews and follow up. It is important that case investigators acknowledge existing fears and concerns, and work with residents to build trust. This brief explores four elements of cross-cultural communication.

State Strategies for Advancing Viral Hepatitis Elimination astho, association of state and territorial health officials, public health officials, state health officials, territorial health officials, state health department, population health, health care systems, distribution of such outcomes, triple aim, defined group, individuals including the distribution, health system, outcomes within the group, save lives, group of individuals including, health outcomes, health improvement, community health, health and health, institute of medicine Cases of viral hepatitis are on the rise across the United States. There are many barriers on the road to progress. See what's being done about it. Cases of viral hepatitis are on the rise across the United States. Current barriers to progress include recent increases in rates of injection drug use, lack of awareness, limitations on testing and diagnostic capacity, access to treatment, and availability of data. ASTHO strives to support states and territories as they work to solidify comprehensive approaches to viral hepatitis elimination. This report synthesizes key actions and proven strategies for public health leaders to consider as they approach elimination planning within their own jurisdictions. Get the Report (PDF) website

This report shares results and key takeaways from interviews on topics including the overall structure of Legionnaires’ disease programs, diagnosis and clinical testing protocols, and risk communication.

Given the emergence of mosquito-borne viruses such as dengue, chikungunya, and Zika in the United States and U.S. territories, this, the second edition of this report, provides guidance to assist local, state, and territorial mosquito control programs in developing and maintaining an effective mosquito control infrastructure to meet the ongoing challenges surrounding vector-borne diseases.

Web Accessibility Content Review Guide for Meeting WCAG Web Accessibility Standards Emily Lapayowker This actionable guide helps you prepare accessible web and digital content. Digital accessibility is an important process that makes websites, files like Word documents or PDFs, and other digital products accessible to people with disabilities, as well as making these products more user-friendly overall. There are several different standards to meet when making your web content accessible. This guide provides a comprehensive checklist for ensuring that web content and digital products are accessible, as laid out in the 2024 ADA Title II Web Rule, and hit the current standard of WCAG 2.1. Get the Checklist (automatic Word download) Padding Block - Medium Special Thanks - Resource - Guide for Meeting WCAG Web Accessibility Standards article yes

Wildfire and Wildfire Smoke Guidance and Resources ASTHO and various public health agencies list of wildfire resources and guidance. Following the 2023 wildfire smoke events that impacted several states in the Midwest, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic, as well as the devastating wildfires that impacted Hawaii, ASTHO developed a document that included a list of federal, state, and partner organization resources on wildfire smoke information and how to message that information to the public to support public health officials, clinicians, schools, and communities. These include air quality data, health guidance, masking and ventilation tips, and communication tools to protect specific groups, pets, and outdoor workers. Get the Resource (PDF) article yes

Media Relations Toolkit for Health Departments Discover expert media relations insights and actionable guidance tailored for health departments in this ASTHO toolkit. Integrating media relations strategies into operational frameworks is crucial for fostering meaningful community connections. ASTHO’s Media Relations Toolkit helps health departments craft effective communication strategies and navigate the landscape of media engagement to cultivate a resilient public image among the public, media, policymakers, funders, and stakeholders. This toolkit is a foundational resource for establishing robust media relations practices and offers a step-by-step roadmap for successful media engagement and strategic planning. It reflects the latest insights and trends in media relations, ensuring health departments stay ahead in effectively communicating their messages to their audiences. Get the Resource (PDF) website yes

Branding Resource Guide for Health Departments A step-by-step guide for moving through the branding or rebranding process for health departments. ASTHO's Branding Resource Guide helps health departments as they embark on strategic planning, quality improvement, and exploring how best to position their agency. A robust brand enhances visibility in the community and can greatly impact how the public, policymakers, funders, and other key stakeholders view the agency. This guide introduces the basic facets of brand development, outlining the path to fortifying a more resilient health department brand. It breaks down the brand enhancement journey into understandable and manageable steps. This guide will be continuously updated to reflect new information as it becomes available. Get the Resource (PDF) website yes

ASTHO's Public Health & Crisis Communications Resource Hub offers trainings, toolkits, and strategies to enhance crisis communication skills.

Tobacco control has been a public health success in states across the nation, but there is still work to be done, especially surrounding the popularity of menthol and other types of flavored tobacco.

ASTHO compiled a list of informative and inspirational public health podcasts to listen to in 2024.

Explore why cancer prevention messaging is often ineffective and learn how public health communications professionals can message effectively instead.

Amid so much uncertainty, it might feel naïve to make any claims about what the future holds. But it is in these moments that it becomes more important than ever to have beacons to guide us and give us hope. As we look ahead to 2022, here are four priorities that must steer the public health course in the year to come.

In recognition of National Infant Immunization Week, ASTHO and AMCHP interviewed Michael Warren, MD, MPH, FAAP, and Associate Administrator of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), for his thoughts on how we can protect our infants and children from vaccine-preventable diseases during this extraordinary time. Especially now, as COVID-19 vaccination expands across the country—including the hope for a vaccine for children (five years and older), and with the promise of a return to in-person education, families and communities must quickly catch up on missed vaccinations.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted both the physical and mental health well-being of youth. Disruptions in both their home and school life have put youth at risk for poor mental health outcomes that include increased anxiety, depression, and risk of suicide. This Mental Health Month we examine state and territorial legislation that addresses youth mental health.

Following a hurricane, the risk of exposure to infectious disease increases due, in part, to the presence of floodwater and debris. Hurricanes may contribute to population displacement and overcrowding—further heightening risk factors for respiratory diseases—as well as cause damage to healthcare facilities. In this post, see how jurisdictions respond to the biggest post-hurricane threats, from water-borne diseases to severe disruptions in the healthcare system.