A State Health Commissioner’s perspective on the COVID-19 crisis

Published: Sept. 15, 2020, 6 p.m.

Host David Speiser, Ph.D., executive vice president at ICF, is joined by Virginia State Health Commissioner Dr. Norman Oliver for a candid discussion on the pandemic response from the front lines. The conversation covers topics such as: 

  • The fragmented nature of public health across the U.S. and how states vary in their approaches. 
  • The role of the Virginia Department of Health in regulating hospital capacity, along with lessons being absorbed from the COVID-19 emergency about how to maintain surge capacity of facilities and medical professionals. 
  • How to align the public with the need to embrace critical public health interventions such as vaccine acceptance, masking, and physical distancing requirements.
  • Recommendations for how to effectively prioritize new or modernized public health information systems after the pandemic, while also ensuring that they are truly national and universal.