The NACCHO Podcast Series NACCHO

On this week’s podcast, the National Association of County and City Health Officials’ Adriane Casalotti, Chief of Government and Public Affairs, and Lauren Mastroberardino, Government Affairs Senior Specialist, provided an outlook on government funding as August recess has ended and Congress is back in session. They spoke about the possibility of a government shutdown or continuing resolution as the fiscal year ends on September 30. Also, Casalotti and Mastroberardino discussed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsement of updated COVID-19 vaccine formulations that will be available as rates of respiratory infections increase this fall. 
Later in the program (8:13), NACCHO Communications Specialist Beth Hess spoke with Deb Kramer, Deputy Assistant Secretary and Director of the Office of Preparedness within the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. During this, National Preparedness Month, they discussed the importance of preparedness both nationally and locally. Kramer also talked about the role of the Medical Reserve Corps in community response, its impact over the past 21 years, and her vision for the program moving forward.

On this week’s podcast, Adriane Casalotti, Chief of Government and Public Affairs, and Lauren Mastroberardino, Government Affairs Senior Specialist, provide an update on the appropriations process, as Congress has adjourned for August recess before making a lot of progress on crucial public health legislation. Casalotti covers House and Senate Labor-HHS appropriations, discussing major differences between both bills and the outlook for fall. Mastroberardino discusses the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) reauthorization, providing insight into political differences in the House and Senate versions of the legislation and potential roadblocks. 
Later in the program, NACCHO Communications Specialist Beth Hess spoke with Neil Brockway, Director of Disaster Risk Reduction at the American Red Cross. Brockway joined the 2023 Preparedness Summit in April as one of the plenary speakers on the topic of empowering resilient communities. They discussed the American Red Cross' Community Adaptation Program and how it works to build community resilience. The program concludes with an invitation to submit abstracts for the 2024 Preparedness Summit.

On this week’s Podcast from Washington, Adriane Casalotti, Chief of Government and Public Affairs and Lauren Mastroberardino, Government Affairs Senior Specialist, provide an update on the appropriations process. Casalotti covers House and Senate topline funding amounts and discusses implications for public health. Mastroberardino discusses the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) reauthorization and provides updates from Congress. She also talks about Dr. Rochelle Walensky’s departure from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and President Biden’s new appointee, Mandy Cohen. Casalotti provides detail about recent Capitol Hill testimony provided by NACCHO members, and finally, invites NACCHO members to attend Government Affairs’ NACCHO360 session, “Informing Public Health Policy in a Complex Political Climate,” on Wednesday, July 12 at the conference in Denver or over the livestream.  
Later in the program, NACCHO Communications Specialist Beth Hess spoke with Daniel Aldrich, PhD, Professor of Political Science, Public Policy and Urban Affairs, Northeastern University. Aldrich joined the 2023 Preparedness Summit in April as one of the plenary speakers on the topic of empowering resilient communities. They discussed the importance of social capital—the networks of relationships among people who live and work in a particular society—and the role it plays in empowering communities to thrive.

In this week’s podcast, the National Association of County and City Health Officials’ Adriane Casalotti, Chief of Government and Public Affairs, and Lauren Mastroberardino, Government Affairs Senior Specialist, provided an update on the debt ceiling, which has been suspended until January 1, 2025, as well as detail on some of the spending limits and claw-backs of previously appropriated funds. They also discussed Dr. Rochelle Walensky’s announced departure from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, provided updates on the reauthorization of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA), and examined the reestablishment of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus to End the Youth Vaping Epidemic. 
Later in the program, NACCHO Communications Specialist Beth Hess spoke with Dr. Mary-Margaret Fill, Deputy State Epidemiologist for the Tennessee Department of Health. Dr. Fill joined the 2023 Preparedness Summit in April as one of the plenary speakers on the topic of One Health. One Health is a collaborative and transdisciplinary approach of achieving optimal health by recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment. They discussed the importance of integrating One Health in ongoing prevention, detection, preparedness, and response initiatives and how local public health professionals can incorporate One Health in their planning and response activities.

In this week’s podcast, the National Association of County and City Health Officials’ Government Affairs team members Kerry Allen and Lauren Mastroberardino provided an update on the Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations process in Congress, including how the debt ceiling negotiations may factor in, as well as ongoing congressional investigations into COVID-19 origins. They also talked about the Food and Drug Administration’s move to make opioid reversal medication naloxone available over the counter. Since the Public Health Emergency ends on May 11, Allen provided insight into emerging details from federal agencies about the new landscape of COVID-19 response. Mastroberardino spoke about her experience at the 2023 Preparedness Summit, organized by NACCHO, and discussed her key takeaways and reflections from the largest gathering of public health and preparedness leaders.
Later in the podcast, Ramona Poblete, a Program Analyst at NACCHO, spoke with Rear Admiral Paul Reed, Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, and Glenda Redeemer, MSN, Chronic Disease Prevention Division Manager at Tarrant County Public Health Department in Texas, for a discussion on Healthy People 2030’s Leading Health Indicators.
The Healthy People Initiative serves as the nation’s plan for addressing our most critical public health priorities and challenges. Their discussion explored how local health officials can use the Leading Health Indicators in their work to achieve successful health outcomes in their communities. Learn more about Healthy People tools, features, and partnership initiatives such as the Healthy People 2030 Champion Program.

In this week’s podcast, the National Association of County and City Health Officials’ Government Affairs team members Kerry Allen and Lauren Mastroberardino provided highlights from this year’s Local Public Health on the Hill event. This NACCHO-organized event brought more than 100 public health leaders to meet with 120 members of Congress spanning 30 states. In the midst of these in-person and virtual Hill meetings, President Biden released his Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Request, which contained requests for increased funding for programs at the Department of Health and Human Services. Allen and Mastroberardino also discussed proposed new programs to address pandemic preparedness and adult vaccine access; NACCHO’s recent advocacy actions, which will continue throughout the appropriations process; and NACCHO's work to inform legislative efforts underway in Congress to bolster the public health workforce and reauthorize the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA).
 
Later in the program, Nicholas Holmes of NACCHO’s Immunization Team spoke with Kate Guzman, the administrator of medical services for the Oakland County Health Division, in Pontiac, Michigan and Carolina Sisiruca, health educator with Centro Multicultural La Familia, about using radio to reach English and Spanish speakers about the importance of COVID-19 vaccinations and other immunizations. They are the developers and co-hosts of the Oakland County Health radio broadcast show – a public health segment that has caught the attention of NPR leaders and has captivated audiences with public health content that empowers listeners to make informed decisions to improve and protect their health and wellbeing.