A growing public health concern with wide-ranging implications for women's health.Read More »
Neglecting to include people with disabilities in public health planning creates barriers that can lead to the exacerbation of health disparities. This infographic serves as a tool to foster conversations in health agencies around planning programs, policies, and activities to better serve individuals with disabilities.Read More »
Health providers have widely used telehealth to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 infection and to improve access to healthcare services thanks in large part to policy changes and regulations. This brief explores how state and territorial health agencies (S/THAs) are responding to COVID-19 through telehealth policy and operational changes, as well as how telehealth has quickly emerged as a tool to improve health equity.Read More »
During the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine hesitancy has increased because of misinformation and disinformation spreading across social and traditional media platforms, targeting vulnerable and underserved communities, and further stalling vaccine uptake. ASTHO hosted representatives from faith- and community-based organizations, universities and colleges, healthcare systems, and other stakeholder groups to discuss the drivers of misinformation and disinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how public health can move forward to address vaccine hesitancy.Read More »
Evidence suggests that access to healthy, safe, and affordable housing is connected to preventing suicide and overdose, with state and federal programs supporting access to housing for people with low incomes, substance use disorders, and/or mental illness. This brief provides an overview of policies to increase housing opportunities for people experiencing homelessness, substance use disorder, and/or mental illness during the 2021 state legislative sessions.Read More »
ASTHO, in collaboration with CDC, provided full-time disability and preparedness specialists to 17 jurisdictions to better meet the needs of people with disabilities. In this brief, specialists share their thoughts on why people living with disabilities may be hesitant to get the COVID-19 vaccine and some approaches public health officials can take to address vaccine hesitancy in people living with disabilities.Read More »
According to the federal government, a homebased individual is someone who requires the help of another person or supportive device to leave the home, someone who is advised against leaving the home by a physician, and/or someone for whom it is extremely taxing to leave the home. Compared to non-homebased adults, homebased people are more likely to be older, have lower income, and belong to racial minority groups—as well as live with disabilities, chronic health conditions, and comorbidities. Individuals who are homebased therefore tend to be at increased risk for COVID-19 morbidity and mortality.Read More »
The digital divide in healthcare has created a growing division between communities who have access to digital health technologies and broadband versus those who experience limited access to these resources. Marginalized communities such as communities of color and rural populations are hardest hit by these access challenges. This brief shares information on how federal agencies and states are expanding digital access through funding investments, unique partnerships, and other innovative interventions to improve digital equity and access to care.Read More »
ASTHO placed 14 disability and preparedness specialists in health agencies to support inclusivity of people living with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. In this brief, three of these specialists share their experiences with ensuring COVID-19 vaccination sites are accessible to people living with disabilities. They share their perspectives and recommendations for expanding vaccine site accessibility.Read More »
This brief highlights how both states are using the Health in All Policies framework to address systemic racism and social inequity between populations of different racial and ethnic groups.Read More »
For many individuals living with disabilities, inaccessible vaccination websites have been a significant barrier to receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Recent studies have found that many vaccination websites do not reliably meet accessibility standards. This brief discusses how several disability rights laws apply to COVID-19 vaccine registration websites and offers considerations for state and territorial health agencies as they work to improve website accessibility for people living with disabilities.Read More »
State and territorial health agencies can prevent many chronic illnesses and behavioral health issues by preventing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). This infographic details how agencies prioritize primary prevention strategies that stop ACEs from occurring in the first place. By promoting programs with larger societal impact, such as policies that strengthen family economic supports, agencies can have a more considerable influence in preventing ACEs.Read More »
Pregnant and postpartum women with opioid use disorder continue to struggle with accessing services that would make recovery possible, including medication-assisted treatment, housing assistance, childcare, and more. To address this vulnerable population’s needs, states have explored a variety of policy approaches to improve access to care. This brief outlines some of the barriers that pregnant and postpartum women with opioid use disorder face, as well as examples of state legislation passed to address recovery program implementation, treatment funding and insurance coverage, and provider education.Read More »
Responding to behavioral health issues like
suicide, adverse childhood experiences, and substance misuse requires
collaboration between public health and behavioral health agencies. This brief
outlines key considerations for state health departments to keep in mind as
they create financing, data, and policy partnerships with behavioral health
stakeholders.Read More »
The use of opioids and other substances during pregnancy has increased significantly in the past decade, and so too have complications from their use. Opioid and substance use disorders (SUD) continue to affect families beyond pregnancy; in 2017, about one in eight (8.7 million) U.S. children lived in a household where at least one parent had a SUD in the prior year. This brief discusses opportunities to engage families in SUD treatment.Read More »
This issue brief addresses key recommendations for future iterations of Healthy People and tells state and territorial health agencies what to expect during the transition from Healthy People 2020 to Healthy People 2030.Read More »