This report aims to highlight the unique vector-borne disease challenges faced by Island Areas and to dive into the key components of a mosquito control program, that are relevant to these unique jurisdictions.
After a year and a half of work as embedded disability specialists, 5 program participants share their reflections on important lessons learned and why disability inclusion is critical to the future of emergency preparedness.
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 ...
This brief highlights four top takeaways from the experience of six public health agencies working to establish and strengthen their own performance management systems.
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 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 ...
Several states and territories, as well as many local governments, are going beyond recommendations and requiring individuals to wear face coverings when they are in public settings and spaces (i.e. grocery stores, retail stores, ...
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, ...
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 ...
U.S. Territories Face Healthcare Cuts if Congress Does Not Address Impending Medicaid Financing Cliff ARLINGTON, VA—Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) member Esther Muña, MHA, chief executive officer at the ...
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 ...
Guam Guam is an unincorporated U.S. territory in the western Pacific. It lies on the other side of the international date line from the continental U.S. For context, Guam is approximately eight hours, by plane, west of Hawaii. Guam’s ...
The COVID-19 pandemic has exasperated challenges around access to nutritious and affordable foods. In response, the federal government has taken action to increase funding and access to programs to strengthen food security.
Three strategies that public health agencies can use to complete the programmatic and administrative activities required for accreditation.
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 ...
Families who wish to breastfeed in the United States often face barriers in workplace and school settings. To address these disparities, federal, state, and territorial governments are adopting policies to improve lactation accommodations ...
Public health plays a vital role to ensure the safety of all attendees, prevent dangerous infectious disease outbreaks, and prepare for any potential threats. Learn about the work Guam did to prepare for the 2016 Festival of Pacific Arts.
Both the Pacific and Caribbean are on the front lines of the dengue health security threat. As a result, many island areas, especially in the USAPI and Puerto Rico, are doing great work to combat dengue.
In the late fall of 2021, ASTHO leadership visited select jurisdictions in the Pacific and the Atlantic for the first time since COVID-19 curtailed travel to these regions. It was a fantastic to reconnect with our leadership and dedicated ...