On April 29, 2020, ASTHO and the National Coalition of STD Directors announced Making Contact, a new course to prepare new contact tracers for their work of helping identify COVID-19 positive cases and those with whom they have been in ...
On April 16, 2020, ASTHO CEO Michael Fraser issued a statement praising the findings of a Trust for America's Health report, The Impact of Chronic Underfunding on America’s Public Health System: Trends, Risks and Recommendations, 2020.
On March 27, 2020, ASTHO and several partner organization released a statement applauding Congress for its commitment to public health data modernization in the CARES Act.
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 ...
While largely preventable, healthcare-associated infections are the most common complication of hospital care, are a leading cause of death in the United States, and increased significantly during the pandemic. States have proposed ...
During the the 2021-2022 legislative sessions, several states have enacted laws addressing flu prevention efforts.
The Embedded specialist in South Carolina used an ASTHO tool to assist the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control improve inclusivity of people living with disabilities in their public health programs.
The COVID-19 pandemic introduced new challenges for screening children’s blood lead levels, as screening rates across the country dropped during stay-at-home orders. A substantive federal policy change and provisions in the Infrastructure ...
As leaders of their state agency, state and territorial health officials can be named parties in lawsuits alleging that an action taken by a public health agency was unlawful. These officials are typically sued in their “official ...
November 18 is National Rural Health Day, a commemoration started by State Offices of Rural Health to recognize the power and resilience of rural communities. Twenty percent of the U.S. population lives in rural communities. Recognizing ...
The ASTHO State Health Policy team provides brief updates on 5 of the ten state health policy issues to watch in 2022: public health authority, immunization, data privacy and modernization, public health workforce, and health equity.
On Feb. 21, 2022, global health advocate Paul Farmer, MD, PhD, passed away. Farmer leaves behind a legacy of radical compassion, generosity, and a commitment to social justice. He will be remembered for his work making affordable, ...
March 24 is World TB Day, we have made significant progress in TB prevention, detection, and treatment. However, there is still a long way to go towards achieving TB elimination.
Closing remarks by ASTHO’s senior vice president of health initiatives, Kimberlee Wyche Etheridge, at the 2023 Health Equity Summit.
Many states have experienced considerable challenges in recruiting and retaining HAI/AR staff, in this interview, public health officials from Kansas discuss their successes and lessons.
COVID-19 has revealed the stark reality of racial and ethnic health disparities that exist nationally. Black and Hispanic Americans were nearly three times more likely to die from COVID-19 than white Americans. Black and Hispanic Americans ...
As COVID-19 spread across the country, governors and health officials invoked their emergency powers to order physical distancing measures designed to reduce social interactions and slow the spread of the disease. Several of these ...
In August 2020, the Big Cities Health Coalition and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials released a co-produced public service announcement to support public education in our members’ communities. The call to action in ...