Community Health and Prevention Policy Committee

The Committee provides policy direction for ASTHO on broad-based health promotion and prevention initiatives. This includes oversight for the Chronic Disease Prevention, Tobacco Prevention and Control, and Injury Prevention cooperative agreements with the CDC. The Committee also has responsibility for nutrition, physical activity, injury, chronic disease risk reduction, and social environments that promote health.

Lindsay Weaver
Lindsay Weaver
Indiana Department of Health

Chair

Dr. Weaver was named Indiana State Health Commissioner by Governor Eric J. Holcomb on June 1, 2023. She brings to the role a passion for improving the health of Hoosiers through a focus on prevention, data-informed programming, and access to care in all corners of the state.

Nilesh Kalyanaraman
Nilesh Kalyanaraman
Maryland Department of Health

Co-Chair

Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman is a leader in improving health outcomes by developing innovative collaborations across health care, public health, and communities.

Sub Committees

Healthy Babies Sub-CommitteeHealthy Babies Sub-Committee

The Healthy Babies Subcommittee guides ASTHO’s activities with multiple national efforts around lowering premature births and reducing infant mortality. A subcommittee of the ASTHO Community Health and Prevention Policy Committee, the Subcommittee was created to guide this initiative to assure a sustainable organizational structure, identify needs, promising practices, experts and funding needs and opportunities. Subcommittee members are leaders representing various areas relevant to maternal and child health such as public health, clinical, hospital care, community support systems, communications, health equity, data, and payment mechanisms. The Subcommittee’s primary objectives are to 1) Reduce preterm birth, 2) Prevent unintended pregnancies, 3) Increase health equity, and 4) Celebrate accomplishments of the ASTHO Challenge.

Substance Misuse & Addiction Response Taskforce Policy CommitteeSubstance Misuse & Addiction Response Taskforce Policy Committee

The Substance Misuse and Addiction Response Taskforce Subcommittee will function under the auspices of the ASTHO Community Health Prevention Policy Committee and will serve to guide ASTHO to address the prevention, treatment, and overdose prevention of substances. The subcommittee is a mechanism to establish a platform to influence policy or system changes, peer sharing, identification of resources or technical assistance and capacity needs. This includes policy surrounding the decriminalization, legalization, and regulation of marijuana. The subcommittee is guided by the Substance Misuse and Addiction Framework focusing on Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Prevention.