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The updated guide includes revisions to all 45 original questions and the addition of more than 15 new questions related to mitigation and long-term response, funerals and post-mortem concerns, contact tracing, medical interventions, and more. New questions are highlighted for reader ease.
Looking for more materials to aid your agency's COVID-19 efforts? Visit ASTHO's COVID-19 page to view resources on capacity, communication, contact tracing and disease intervention, recovery, resilience, and more.
Do you want to learn about contact tracing? This entry-level e-learning opportunity provides a foundation in contact tracing over the course of four lessons. The material includes how to identify, assess, and manage people who have been exposed to the infection.
ASTHO and the National Governors Association released a report entitled, “Roadmap to Recovery: A Public Health Guide for Governors.” The report was developed to help support governors and states in developing plans for a phased reopening of economic activities while protecting the public’s health.
Learn more about the ASTHO Challenge and how you can help play a major role in building healthy communities.
A yearly initiative of ASTHO to improve population health through the work of state public health agencies.
Join your colleagues and participate in various discussion topics on my.ASTHO, ASTHO's collaboration and discussion platform. ASTHO members can access the platform here »
How States are Bolstering a Contact Tracing Workforce
As summer gets underway, some states are beginning to ease their community mitigation efforts for COVID-19 and allowing the cautious and partial reopening of social spots such as restaurant dining rooms, beaches, amusement parks, and summer camps. But more social interaction provides the coronavirus with the conditions it needs to continue its person-to-person spread. To help break the chain of infections, state and local health departments are conducting disease investigations and contact tracing, core tools of public health practice used to combat the spread of communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis, and sexually transmitted infections. These techniques are used to identify individuals who were exposed to the COVID-19 and gives them a chance to self-isolate or self-quarantine before passing it on to others.
Health Equity During COVID-19: Top Strategies for an Equity-Focused Recovery Strategy
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the depth of health inequities in our country. Low-income and marginalized communities are experiencing a disproportionate burden in terms of both health outcomes and economic impact. At the same time, COVID-19 has reinforced the message that disease impacts entire communities and that we are all interdependent on one another. The pandemic has generated awareness of the importance of building community resiliency and brought about an influx of federal funding, which offers an opportunity to advance equity in prevention, social determinants of health, and healthcare.
How States are Housing the Homeless During a Pandemic
On a single night in 2019, roughly 568,000 Americans experienced homelessness. Of those, two-thirds were staying in emergency locations or transitional housing and more than one-third were unsheltered according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the 2019 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress. At the state level, policymakers have sought to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by focusing on non-congregate sheltering and alternative housing for homeless populations, restricting the use of hotels and other lodging specifically for homeless individuals. States have also proposed legislation to provide economic assistance, funding, and grants to address homelessness in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.