Susan Fleurant, J.D., M.P.H., is a staff attorney for the Network for Public Health Law’s Mid-States Region. She is a former Equal Justice Works Fellow. Susan assists public health attorneys, practitioners, and advocates to use law to protect the public’s health by providing legal technical assistance, training, and practical tools. Before joining the Network, she practiced disability rights law. Susan received her law degree and Master of Public Health in Health Management and Policy from the University of Michigan and her Bachelor of Arts degree from Colby College. She is admitted to practice law in Minnesota.
This legal technical assistance resource addresses two questions related to harm reduction in Missouri, including use of opioid settlement funds and Missouri drug paraphernalia laws and syringe service programs.
Missouri’s 115 local public health agencies (LPHAs) provide key public health functions to Missouri residents, including assessing local health needs and risks; developing policies and planning programs to improve health; and enforcing public health laws and promoting equitable access to basic health care. Like all local health departments across the country, Missouri’s LPHAs rely on state-specific legal authority granted via the state constitution, statutes, and regulations to perform these functions. Access to state-specific legal information is essential for LPHAs to fulfill their responsibilities efficiently and effectively. The Network for Public Health Law partnered with the Missouri Center for Public Health Excellence to provide the training, legal technical assistance, and resources listed here to support Missouri’s local public health agencies.
The newly issued Biden Administration HIPAA Final Rule seeks to strengthen privacy protections under HIPAA for protected health information potentially related to reproductive health care. Join Network attorneys as they discuss key provisions, potential implementation challenges and what this means for public health, including how the rule may affect data transfers for public health purposes.
People who are incarcerated have higher rates of chronic health conditions; these conditions tend to worsen upon their release, primarily due to barriers to accessing health care. Despite evidence that Community Health Workers (CHWs) with lived experience of incarceration can help to improve outcomes for individuals reentering their communities, significant barriers impede hiring them to provide direct client care. Attend this webinar to learn about the legal barriers to hiring CHWs with incarceration histories and opportunities for policy change.
Students of color, students with disabilities, boys — and particularly those at the intersection of these identities — continue to experience disproportionate rates of discipline. School discipline practices can impede child development, result in reduced instructional time, harm mental health, and increase involvement in the juvenile justice system, among other impacts on health and wellbeing. This year, federal and state agencies have announced renewed efforts to enforce students’ civil rights in school to address longstanding inequities.
