In this week’s episode of Podcast from Washington Eli Briggs and Ian Goldstein discuss  the partial government shutdown that entered its fifth week, and how that is affecting public health and local health departments. They also discuss the Senate hearings for the Attorney General nominee William Barr and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator nominee Andrew Wheeler.   Later in the program, Ian Goldstein talked with Health Director for DeKalb County Health Department Dr. Sandra Ford. They discuss risk factors around maternal and child health to bring awareness to Birth Defects Prevention Month. Dr. Ford discussed the challenges in DeKalb county lowering the rates of infant mortality throughout the county.