On April 15, 2021, ASTHO member and public health leader Tracie Collins, MD, MPH, MHCDS, secretary of the New Mexico Department of Health, testified before a Senate subcommittee on the importance of disseminating accurate, timely ...
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 ...
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 ...
While the Biden Administration and Congress have no shortage of immediate health issues to focus on, improving maternal health outcomes—particularly Black maternal morbidity and mortality—have become a priority for federal lawmakers. To ...
The digital divide in health care 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 ...
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 ...
This webinar discusses state and community-level interventions to bridge the digital divide in healthcare and improve access to digital services for marginalized communities. The panel of expert speakers emphasized the importance of ...
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 ...
In-depth analysis on state health policy surrounding health equity. This is part of ASTHO's annual legislative prospectus series.
Breastfeeding is considered the gold standard in postnatal care for both birthing persons and infants. Yet racial disparities in breastfeeding initiation and duration rates continue to persist. Effective intervention strategies require a ...
On June 1, 2021, ASTHO and Lead For America announced the creation of Public Health Equity Corps, a new program for young leaders to help bolster our nation’s public health infrastructure and build healthy and resilient communities.
Vaccines are one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century, as well as some of the most powerful and cost-effective tools to prevent disease, disparities, disability, and death among children and adults. The COVID-19 ...
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, ...
COVID-19 has stressed the U.S. healthcare and public health systems and highlighted racial and ethnic disparities in pre-existing conditions and health outcomes. In this episode, our guests discuss how health officials can serve as chief ...
On this bonus episode, Jim Ivey, chief operating officer at Chexout, discusses the importance of interoperability and makes the case that public health organizations need to invest in software that will adapt to their changing needs in ...
While governments have faced challenges in adopting a Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach to respond to COVID-19, the impact of the public health emergency across sectors such as housing, transportation, and employment has created a ...
All too often, work in health, housing, and human services systems is siloed. However, when you move upstream and work together, these industries can address the root causes of health and social issues. If we continue to operate our ...
During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, temporarily expanding the use of telehealth technologies by removing various requirements and ...
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and the importance of continued mental health promotion and suicide prevention efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. As we address the physical effects of COVID-19 through social distancing, mask ...
The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the consequences of decades of underfunding. To ensure we are better prepared for future pandemics and biological threats, we must consider the long-term investments required to bolster our public ...