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 ...
Closing remarks by ASTHO’s senior vice president of health initiatives, Kimberlee Wyche Etheridge, at the 2023 Health Equity Summit.
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.
ASTHO has identified health equity and rural health as issues that policymakers across the country will consider in 2022.
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Scientists are working quickly to develop a safe and effective vaccine to provide immunity to COVID-19. Once a vaccine is approved, it will likely be imperative for states to authorize as many health care professionals to administer it, ...
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, ...
Leading Health Security Efforts Through Strategic Collaboration and Innovation Margaret Nilz This blog post illustrates how health agencies' strategic plans can improve health security and emergency preparedness. Strategic planning is ...
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.
This blog post explores the impact of mpox, state health agency response, and the way forward.
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 provided an unprecedented opportunity to speed up developing Delaware’s Functional Assessment Service Team and to test it at scale.
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 ...
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted both the physical and mental health well-being of youth. Disruptions in both their home and school life have put youth at risk for poor mental health outcomes that include increased anxiety, depression, ...
Every year on Nov. 22, ASTHO—and countless other agencies and organizations worldwide—take a moment to acknowledge the public health workforce on Public Health Thank You Day. Like so many other days of recognition, it has become a blip on ...
The disparities experienced during the COVID pandemic have brought a national focus to health equity in our nation. The attention and resources currently being provided to help address health inequities provide an opportunity that I have ...
The 2020-2021 influenza season in the United States was historically quiet since so many people took steps to mitigate COVID-19 exposure (e.g., masking, hand washing, travel restrictions, and school closures). As a result, reduced ...