As COVID spread through the country and infection rates rose in every state, many of the the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI) received media attention for remaining relatively COVID-free. The USAPI’s unified response in the face of ...
The COVID-19 pandemic presented an opportunity for an existing behavioral health resource—the Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center’s Crisis Hotline—to become a household name. During the pandemic, the hotline became a lifeline for a ...
On Oct. 4, 2023, ASTHO responded to a Request for Information from the U.S. House of Representatives' Ways and Means Committee on the subject of improving access to healthcare and rural and underserved areas, including the island ...
In February 2023, ASTHO staff traveled to Koror, Palau for a four-day health equity summit and held workshops to identify, select, and prioritize measures for Palau’s health equity work.
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 ...
The 2020 holiday season is coinciding with a nationwide surge of COVID-19 cases. With great concern that holiday travel to see loved ones may exacerbate community spread of the virus, many states are increasing public health measures ...
Programa de Puerto Rico Apoya a las Poblaciones Vulneradas ASTHO Island Support El Programa de Equidad en Salud del Departamento de Salud de Puerto Rico implementó una iniciativa innovadora para apoyar a diversas instituciones, con el ...
Inclusive practices that prioritize the safety and well-being of all residents, regardless of age or ability, are essential in ensuring effective disaster preparedness and response.
Over the past several years, states and jurisdictions have continued to implement important policies to reduce tobacco and nicotine use, including increasing tobacco prices, expanding areas deemed “smoke-free,” limiting the sale of ...
This blog describes how Palau's health ministry collaborated with its community to design indicators to better measure health equity in its jurisdiction.
People exposed to adverse childhood experiences are at risk for negative physical and/or mental health outcomes, substance use disorders, and unfavorable social outcomes in adulthood. One known risk factor for ACEs is caregiver stress, ...
Medicaid plays a critical role in providing access to health services for low-income U.S. citizens in the five U.S. territories. However, Medicaid financing in the territories has been underfunded compared to states. In this episode, ...
Collecting and sharing data are crucially important to improving health equity, because those datasets inform effective policymaking. Despite having some of the most challenging population health outcomes, the U.S. island areas are often ...
Establishing an Office of Health Equity or Minority Health Learn how to establish, structure, and fund a health equity or minority health office. A dedicated office of health equity or minority health can provide a focus on cross-cutting ...
Puerto Rico Program Supports Vulnerable Populations ASTHO Island Support Learn how Puerto Rico addresses social determinants of health and promotes equity among vulnerable populations. The Puerto Rico Department of Health’s Health Equity ...
Hearing the Hill astho, association of state and territorial health officials, opioid crisis, covid-19 funds, public health, public health data and workforce, american rescue plan, promoting health, drug overdose death, coronavirus ...
When Beatriz Vallejo, the disability and preparedness specialist in Puerto Rico, first joined the health agency, she took on planning a novel program to share knowledge and clarify each sectors’ roles and responsibilities during an ...