This report highlights six public health approaches for addressing the rising incidence of substance use disorder and neonatal abstinence syndrome and draws out the critical role that state health leaders play in each.
Following disruptions to daily life caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency departments saw an increase of mental health-related visits. A June 2021 study showed a significant increase of mental health-related visits among ...
This June marked the 40-year anniversary of the first five cases of what later became known as AIDS reported in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Since then, more than 32 million people have died from the disease worldwide and ...
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the intersections of social determinants of health, such as transportation, education, and housing, and their impact on the health of individuals and communities. As the moratorium on evictions ends in ...
One in three individuals who contract COVID-19 will experience lasting mental health impacts, according to a recent study. This startling discovery underscores the reality facing our nation: the challenges of this last year—the public ...
Walgreens and Rite Aid Make Good Public Health Move on Raising Age to Purchase Tobacco, but More Is Needed ARLINGTON, VA—Nicole Alexander-Scott, MD, MPH, director of the Rhode Island Department of Health and president of the Association of ...
Public Health Leaders Note Great Progress in National Adult Smoking Rate Reduction, But More Needs to be Done ARLINGTON, VA—New data from CDC’s 2017 National Health Interview indicates that smoking rates among U.S. adults have hit an ...
ASTHO Member and West Virginia Health Commissioner Rahul Gupta Testifies on Nation’s Opioid Epidemic ARLINGTON, VA—Rahul Gupta, commissioner and state health officer at the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources’ Bureau for ...
ASTHO Statement on President Trump's Plan to End the Opioid Epidemic and Address America's "Crisis Next Door" ARLINGTON, VA—Michael Fraser, executive director of ASTHO, issued the following statement on President Trump’s ...
State Health Officials Commend Public Health Emergency Declaration to Address Opioid Epidemic ARLINGTON, VA—Members of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) joined President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania ...
State and Territorial Health Leaders Praise Surgeon General’s Report on E-Cigarettes ARLINGTON, VA—The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) praises U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy for issuing a first ...
With many of the state and territorial legislatures reconvening over the next few weeks, we can look forward to new (and not-so-new) legislation start to crop up that will impact public health. To help navigate the new legislative ...
Every year, ASTHO performs an annual environmental scan to identify these policy and programmatic priorities. The most recent scan occurred from June 2019 to May 2020. Through ongoing collection of data from a variety of sources—including ...
I think we all welcomed 2021 with open arms as we look to put the worst of 2020 behind us. We have all been through a lot—we have lost family members and friends to COVID-19, we have seen public health officials harassed and maligned, we ...
COVID-19 has elevated our nation’s stress level. When not managed properly (or without any buffers like social support) stress is associated with increased depression and anxiety. Because COVID-19 impacts risk factors for suicide, such as ...
The Great American Smokeout has helped dramatically Americans’ attitudes about tobacco. However, there has been a dramatic rise in youth use of e-cigarettes. Is it time for a Great American Smoke- and Vape-Out?
The Tobacco Control Network, an ASTHO peer network, celebrates the 25th anniversary of its successful work supporting state and territorial tobacco control programs in their common pursuit of working towards a nation free from the health ...
Take Back Day is a nationwide event designed by DEA to encourage communities to dispose of and destroy expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. These programs have proliferated at the state and local levels, growing even as the ...
Larry Wolk, chief medical officer of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, discusses misconceptions surrounding the health impacts of e-cigarettes, encouraging regulatory actions, and the letter he sent to Colorado ...
Connecticut Health Official Renée Coleman-Mitchell Testifies on Vaping Illnesses ARLINGTON, VA—Renée Coleman-Mitchell, MPH, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health, testified today on the threats of ...