As COVID-19 continues to spread across the country, increased attention has been given to how schools, colleges, and universities can safely reopen for the upcoming 2020-2021 academic year. To note, many schools and institutions closed in ...
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, ...
To help break the chain of COVID-19 infections, state and local health departments are conducting disease investigations and contact tracing, core tools of public health practice used to combat the spread of communicable diseases. This ...
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, states are using their emergency powers to authorize a variety of social distancing measures. This post is a summary of executive orders that have led to the closure of many businesses and nonprofit ...
Joan Alker, of Georgetown University, discusses how state health officials can work with their Medicaid programs to improve overall health.
Debra Houry, CDC's director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control discusses the impact of adverse childhood experiences and how discusses the prevention work that she and her team have done.
Catherine de la Cruz-Duran, Puerto Rico's territorial health official designee, explains how the island worked after Hurricane Maria to rebuild and improve its infrastructure and processes to better recover from future natural ...
Practice-based research is the investigation of a topic of interest in a real-world setting and the application of the findings in relevant programs, settings, or populations. Health departments should explore academic partnerships, ...
Karen Smith (alumni-CA) discusses the import role informatics plays in public health and how her successes in California may help other jurisdictions as they embrace data modernization.
One way states and territories can address ACEs in American Indian and Alaska Native communities is by adopting evidence-based home visiting programs that reflect the specific cultural values of the communities they are serving to reach ...
To help new leaders, Missouri uses a concise orientation guide that incorporates key plans and leverages the infrastructure previously developed as part of the health department’s process to achieve accreditation through PHAB.
Lesley Steinman and Mark Snowden of the University of Washington Health Promotion Research Center discuss the PEARLS program and how it is being used to confront the stigma associated with depression and mental health.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, with approximately 30% of all heart disease deaths attributed to smoking cigarettes.
In this ASTHO Member Spotlight, Scott Harris of Alabama discusses his routine, professional influences, and public health priorities.
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a particularly negative impact on the mental health of adolescent girls. Fortunately, state legislators have been addressing school-based mental health through legislation enacted since the beginning of the ...