Health

Governors play an essential role in addressing the health needs of the public across all domains. NGA’s Center for Best Practices supports Governors’ offices in addressing emerging public health crises, improving access and quality of care for behavioral health and substance use disorders, and finding ways to innovate healthcare delivery.

To support Governors’ priorities, the NGA Health Team provides information, research synthesis, policy analysis, technical assistance, special projects, and resources to Governors and their staff on a variety of health topics including: public health infrastructure, chronic and infectious diseases, rural health issues, healthcare workforce, cost and coverage issues, behavioral health, health equity, and maternal and child health. NGA also provides special opportunities for states and territories to engage in more in-depth technical assistance such as through policy academies, learning collaboratives, workshops, and roundtables on pressing policy issues. With an emphasis on finding equitable solutions to some of the most demanding health issues, Governors establish partnerships, utilize state and territorial resources, and work across multiple sectors and state/territory agencies to develop and promote relationships to improve the public’s health. In addition to providing timely and individualized Governors’ office-focused technical assistance to Governors, their health advisors, and state and territory agency leadership, our team is working to aid Governors and health leaders in state and territory wide transformation efforts to build and improve the nation’s health through transformation efforts.

Services

  • Strategic planning facilitation and best practice guidance on health topics or initiatives
  • Annual HHS Advisors Institute for state/territory leaders on emerging health issues
  • Regular communications and briefings to health policy advisors on health topics
  • Customized research briefs and best practice presentations upon request
  • Strategic guidance, feedback, and meeting facilitation support to relevant advisors
  • Coordinating groups such as the Health Policy Advisors Network, Opioid State Action Network (OSAN), Medicaid Advisors Network, etc…

NGA Health Networks

  • Health Equity Learning Network – In 2023, the NGA Center convened states and territories to discuss approaches and communication strategies regarding health equity. With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), the NGA Center for Best Practices launched the “NGA Health Equity Learning Network.” The learning network is an opportunity for Governors’ offices and their health leaders to address health equity priorities. The learning network will focus on state and territory best practices related to health equity policy across several populations, including people with disabilities, racially and ethnically marginalized groups, and rural communities.
  • Health Policy Advisors Network – The Health Policy Advisors Network convenes Governor’s advisors on critical challenges in health impacting their states or territories. Through monthly calls that foster collaboration, the network is able to be a platform for sharing insights, strategies, and best practices for an evolving health landscape. 
  • Medicaid Advisors Network – The Medicaid Advisors Network brings together Governors’ Medicaid advisors and Medicaid state agency policy analysts to discuss key regulations and analyze the impacts on states and territories through a series of capacity building tools such as monthly roundtables, technical assistance and resource sharing. Members of the network focus on sustainable funding solutions, improving quality of care for Medicaid beneficiaries, and closing gaps in access to care. 
  • Opioid State Action Network – The Opioid State Action Network is comprised of Governor’s office staff (including policy advisors for criminal justice and health) and state officials from departments of public safety, corrections, health, behavioral health, Medicaid, and other related agencies. This network convenes to discuss critical new developments in opioid litigation and state policy. 

Focus Areas

  • Addressing Infectious Diseases Related to SUD/OUD
  • Adverse Childhood Experiences and Trauma
  • Cost and Coverage
  • Disease Prevention and Management
  • Health Equity
  • Health Workforce
  • Maternal and Child Health
  • Medicaid
  • Population Health
  • Public Health Infrastructure
  • Social Drivers of Health
  • Substance Use and Substance Use Disorder

Meet the Team

  • Marianne Gibson, Program Director
  • Brittney Roy, Program Director
  • Alex Entner, Policy Analyst
  • Anna Heard, Senior Policy Analyst
  • Asia Riviere, Policy Analyst
  • Chyenne Tran, Policy Analyst
  • Grace Burns, Policy Coordinator

Improving Maternal and Child Health in Rural America

With generous support from the Health Resources and Services Administration, Merck for Mothers, Pritzker Family Foundation, and March of Dimes, The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices launched a Learning Collaborative in March 2024 to support nine Governors’ offices as they work to improve maternal and child health (MCH) outcomes. The Collaborative supports the growth and development of state and territory-level, rural MCH initiatives. States currently participate in the Collaborative include: Alabama, American Samoa, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington. Learn more…


NextGen Healthcare Workforce Project Year 3

NGA launched the Next Generation of the Healthcare Workforce project in 2022 with support from HRSA. The project supports Governors’ offices and other senior state officials in implementing strategies to strengthen and grow the next generation of the healthcare workforce. Year three of this project will focus on a policy academy and learning network to lay the foundation for new initiatives, funding opportunities, or administrative policies for improving healthcare workforce. Learn more…


Health Equity Learning Network

In 2023, the NGA Center convened states to discuss approaches and communication strategies regarding health equity. In 2024, the NGA Center will facilitate a learning network of states and territories interested in advancing their health equity goals. Learn more…


Towards Epidemic Preparedness

Through the “Towards Epidemic Preparedness: Enhancing Public Health Infrastructure and Incorporating Data-Driven Tools project, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) seeks to build on its strong history of working across sectors in a bipartisan fashion to support the needs of the U.S. Governors and their trusted advisors in 55 states and territories. Specifically, the NGA Center is supporting Governors and other senior state officials by providing technical assistance, and engaging Governors’ advisors to identify best practices for implementing forecasting models to predict infectious disease outbreaks and empower response. This project is in collaboration with the Center for Outbreak Response Innovation (CORI) at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security


NGA Health Libraries

Behavioral Health

Governors Recognize Suicide Prevention Month  

Governors Recognize Suicide Prevention Month  

Suicide is a leading cause of death and claimed the lives of nearly 50,000 individuals in 2022, according to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ...
Nonprescription Naloxone Available for Retail Sales

Nonprescription Naloxone Available for Retail Sales

Just a week after International Overdose Awareness Day, the first overdose reversal drug approved for nonprescription sale, Narcan® (naloxone HCl), will appear on retail store shelves and online this week ...
International Overdose Awareness Day 2023

International Overdose Awareness Day 2023

International Overdose Awareness Day has been recognized since 2001 to raise awareness of the impact of overdose, remember those who have died, and acknowledge the grief of those who have ...
NGA Releases Roadmap for Tackling Drug Overdose Epidemic

NGA Releases Roadmap for Tackling Drug Overdose Epidemic

Roadmap Outlines Strategies Targeting Growing Impact of Fentanyl Washington, DC –The National Governors Association (NGA) released a roadmap to help support Governors and state officials in developing policy solutions to ...
Implementing Best Practices Across the Continuum of Care to Prevent Overdose

Implementing Best Practices Across the Continuum of Care to Prevent Overdose

This Roadmap provides Governors with 17 specific, actionable recommendations to prevent overdose across five pillars of the Substance Use Disorder Continuum of Care: foundations, prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery ...
State and Territory Approaches to Improving Care for Individuals Affected by Stimulant and Polysubstance Use

State and Territory Approaches to Improving Care for Individuals Affected by Stimulant and Polysubstance Use

The Stimulant and Polysubstance Use Policy Academy provided states and territories with the opportunity to assess their current strategies and infrastructure for stimulant and polysubstance use using a comprehensive approach ...

Healthcare Delivery

Prioritizing Resilience: Best Practices on Energy Resilience for Healthcare Facilities

Prioritizing Resilience: Best Practices on Energy Resilience for Healthcare Facilities

This paper contains best practices to best position healthcare facilities when energy stressor events occur, prioritizing healthcare facility energy resilience. (Download) Introduction Over the past several years, the National Governors ...
Youth Mental Health: Promoting access and affordability of quality treatment and care

Youth Mental Health: Promoting access and affordability of quality treatment and care

NGA Chair New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer hosted the third convening of the NGA Chair’s Initiative: Strengthening Youth Mental Health, in Detroit, Michigan, from April ...
State and Federal Actions to Respond to Xylazine

State and Federal Actions to Respond to Xylazine

Xylazine, also known as “tranq,” is a non-opioid drug commonly used for veterinary purposes which has been showing up more frequently in the illicit drug supply. To address the significant ...
Youth Mental Health and Substance Use

Youth Mental Health and Substance Use

In a time when the drug supply is more lethal than ever, preventing substance use and mitigating risk among youth is a critical bipartisan priority. (Download) Mental health conditions and ...
Governors Lead the Way on Behavioral Health Workforce Needs

Governors Lead the Way on Behavioral Health Workforce Needs

New research from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing shows that 83% of the behavioral health workforce believes providers will not be able to meet the demand for mental health ...
Governors and States are Advancing Equitable Rural Economic Development and Healthcare

Governors and States are Advancing Equitable Rural Economic Development and Healthcare

Supporting rural communities is a top priority for Governors, and states and territories are working to advance solutions in this area, particularly with respect to economic development and healthcare. More ...

Public Health

Improving Health Equity for Rare Diseases

Improving Health Equity for Rare Diseases

Working together can improve outcomes for patients with rare diseases and promote better overall public health. Despite their name, when considered altogether, rare diseases are not that rare. They affect ...
Letter on Reauthorization of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act

Letter on Reauthorization of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act

Governors have firsthand experience on how to improve the ability of states and territories to respond to public health crises, gaps in the PAHPA framework, and ways to bolster partnerships ...
Health and Wellness in Pharmacies

Health and Wellness in Pharmacies

Rina Shah On March 1, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) hosted a Health and Wellness Stakeholder Forum (Forum) in Washington, DC, exploring how pharmacies can work collaboratively ...
Letter on the health care workforce shortage

Letter on the health care workforce shortage

States and territories are working to address healthcare workforce challenges by advancing nursing, direct care, and behavioral health career pathways, supporting healthcare provider mental health and wellbeing, improving the collection ...
Messaging in a Bottle: Evaluating Behavioral Insights to Build Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence

Messaging in a Bottle: Evaluating Behavioral Insights to Build Pediatric COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence

Increasing COVID-19 vaccine uptake among children is a complex challenge that will likely require many different strategies from Governors. (Download) Throughout 2022, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices ...
State Strategies to Support Marketplace Plan Enrollment as the Medicaid Continuous Coverage Requirement Winds Down

State Strategies to Support Marketplace Plan Enrollment as the Medicaid Continuous Coverage Requirement Winds Down

Just as states have customized their Medicaid programs and State-Based Marketplaces to meet the needs of their populations, they have been developing innovative approaches to prepare for the unwinding of ...