News & Insights

Whether as data-use facilitator, gatekeeper, trust builder, or steward, the privacy officer plays a key role in effective data governance that safeguards the privacy of community members, while promoting the effective use of public health data to reduce disparities and dismantle racist systems.

Overview Donald Trump signed 230 executive orders (EOs) by the end of his first year, a good number of which impacted critical areas…

Overview States burdened with the costs of mitigating and responding to the effects of climate change have looked to a decades old federal…

Overview Drug checking services have been shown to reduce the risk of overdose by providing people with information on what is in drugs…

As we find ourselves in the wake of another election and having seen the outpouring of supportive messages from so many of our public health and community partners, we're reminded once again of the strength of our collective commitment to efforts that improve the well-being of individuals, families, and communities across the country. How we navigate the post-election landscape will have a lasting impact on democracy, the social determinants of health, and public health authority. 

HDUs can provide health departments critical information to respond proactively to emergencies, public health risks, and equity focused use cases. They also address many contemporary concerns around data sharing, such as transparency around governance and ensuring the access and use of data serves the public good.

HDUs can provide health departments critical information to respond proactively to emergencies, public health risks, and equity focused use cases. They also address many contemporary concerns around data sharing, such as transparency around governance and ensuring the access and use of data serves the public good.

Building on a Year of Challenge: Public Health in 2026 Dear Colleagues and Friends,  As we begin 2026, I want to wish you a happy New…

Many states have recently introduced parental rights legislation in response to a perceived lack of parental authority in educational settings. Largely driven by politics, these laws are not created with implementation in mind, causing confusion and compromising the care provided by school nurses, which is essential healthcare for many school-aged children.

Advancing health equity is central to the Network’s mission, and supporting the leaders driving this work is essential to improving community health. The Network recently launched the Equity Officer Peer Group for those working in equity to come together to learn and discuss successes, opportunities, and challenges in this work. Even if equity is just one aspect of your work, we invite you to join us in creating a supportive community for those working to advance health equity.

States rely on data from the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) to identify and monitor troubling trends in adolescent health and develop programmatic and policy interventions. In January, YRBSS data were among many federal data resources pulled from public access in response to vague and scientifically unsupported executive orders signed by President Trump. The result is a dangerous blind spot at precisely the moment when schools, health agencies, and policymakers need clear information the most.

The divide between states seeking to restrict abortion and states permitting it continues to widen, as the former pursue new, increasingly draconian, maneuvers to restrict abortion access and the latter bolster protections in response. The intra-state conflict incited by this divide is coming to a head in a legal struggle between Texas and New York. The lawsuit, Texas v. Bruck,  challenges enforcement of a New York shield law and threatens the viability of such legal safeguards moving forward, with major consequences for reproductive health care access.