Public Health On Call

First declared in January, 2020 and renewed every 90 days since, the federal COVID-19 public health emergency allows for key flexibilities and funds in response to the pandemic. With the declaration due to expire in January, what are the implications for things like Medicare/Medicaid coverage, and cost and access to vaccines and tests? Jennifer Kates, Senior Vice President and Director of Global Health & HIV Policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation, talks with Lindsay Smith Rogers about the PHE and potential fallout for ending it too soon. Read Kates' coauthored article here.

Disappointing rates of child and adolescent vaccination for COVID are colliding with an intensifying seasonal storm of viral illnesses including flu and RSV. ERs and pediatric ICU beds are already filling up in some areas and many more kids will miss precious school time on top of pandemic learning loss. Pediatrician Dr. Megan Tschudy talks with Stephanie Desmon about the importance of vaccination in prevention and protection, a worsening child and adolescent mental health crisis, and why the pandemic's lingering aftershocks are far from over.

Social determinants of health—such as access to appropriate housing, health care, and transportation—drive massive health disparities in the US, and many are underpinned by politics and policies. Professor and author Daniel Dawes talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about his new book which looks at the role of politics and health, why the "moral case" alone can't advance change, and how the health of the democratic process is key to a healthier and more equitable future.

Traditional after-deathcare in the US carries a huge environmental toll from burying toxic embalming chemicals to the carbon footprint of cremation. Samuel Cline Perry, a licensed mortician, professor of mortuary science, and a deathcare educator at Southern Illinois University Carbondale talks with Lindsay Smith Rogers about how the funeral industry is evolving with more options for "green burials." They also discuss new legislation around human composting and why social justice is a key aspect of the larger conversation of green deathcare.

Conversations about death and dying between physicians and patients or patients and loved ones are difficult but important. Dr. Jillian Tullis, a professor in Communication at the University of San Diego, talks with Lindsay Smith Rogers about why these conversations are important to dying well, some tools for starting the conversation (especially with loved ones who may be resistant to the topic), and some important things to consider when inquiring about someone's wishes. They also discuss how COVID-19 created an "accumulation of death experiences" that may influence how our society thinks about grief, bereavement, and "a good death" going forward.

Climate change is an urgent existential threat to public health, so why is it still considered a separate issue and how can public health take on more problem solving to address it? "Problem Solver for Public Health" Dr. Judy Monroe, president and CEO of the CDC Foundation, talks with guest host Dr. Shelley Hearne, director of the Johns Hopkins Lerner Center for Public Health Advocacy about lessons learned from tobacco battles, why engaging in politics—but not partisanship—is a crucial asset, and how public health can "make some noise" when it comes to climate change advocacy.

Dr. Raegan McDonald Mosley, an obstetrician-gynecologist and CEO of Power to Decide, returns to the podcast to talk with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about the state of reproductive health care 3 months after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. They discuss barriers to access to abortion services, interference with the care of pregnancy, and the challenge posed to US medicine and the health care system.

In June 2020, Dr. Dale Bratzler stepped in to serve as the Chief COVID Officer for the University of Oklahoma. He talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about making controversial health and safety decisions in a charged atmosphere, his transition from primary care to public health, and his views on COVID as a long-term issue with far-reaching impacts.

The disastrous water infrastructure issues in Flint, Michigan, and Jackson, Mississippi are not outliers. Looming failures across water, energy, and transportation systems are threatening dozens of cities. Dr. Marccus Hendricks, director of the Stormwater Infrastructure Resilience and Justice Lab at the University of Maryland, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about these emerging challenges.

Across the country, kids who fall into the foster care system are getting stuck in hospitals and institutions because there's nowhere for them to go. Molly Tierney, the leader of child welfare work at Accenture, talks with Dr. Josh Sharfstein about these heartbreaking scenarios and how change starts with redefining the challenges, as well as what individuals can do in their own communities.