Health Equity

Introduction to the 2021-2022 Racial Equity Dataset: A Searchable Collection of Laws Related to Racial Equity

WebinarsRacial Equity Dataset: A Searchable Collection of Laws Related to Racial EquityMechanisms for Advancing Public HealthRacism as a Public Health Crisis

September 4, 2024
by Phyllis Jeden and Quang H. Dang

Join us for a webinar introducing the Network’s  Racial Equity Dataset. This searchable database includes bills proposed and enacted in the 2021 and 2022 legislative cycles in the wake of the renewed racial justice movement in 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic.   Features of the laws that were enacted, and that were still in effect on December 31, 2022, were compiled into a cohesive dataset, created using policy surveillance methods, to provide insight into the outcomes of those legislative sessions. Legislation identified, though not exhaustive, provides a bird’s eye view and a peek into relevant legal trends across the country.

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Racial Health Equity Information Session: Call for Applications for Network-Funded Law and Policy Assistance

WebinarsMechanisms for Advancing Health EquityRacism as a Public Health CrisisMechanisms for Advancing Public Health

August 29, 2024
by April Shaw, Kathleen Hoke, Quang H. Dang and Sara Rogers

The Network seeks to support local, state, and tribal governments, health departments, community-based groups or organizations, nonprofits, professional associations, health care systems and providers, and others in their efforts to eliminate deep, systemic, and racially driven inequities in public health. Join us for a webinar outlining our recently released Legal and Policy Assistance to Address Racial Health Equity call for applications (RHE CFA) to support work on racial health equity. We are seeking applicants developing or working on a specific issue that prioritizes racial equity that would benefit from legal and policy technical assistance. We can assist with work that is at any stage of development.

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Six Policies That Advance Mental Health

Policy BriefMental Health and Well-BeingMechanisms for Advancing Public HealthMechanisms for Advancing Health Equity

June 3, 2024
by Amy Lieberman, April Shaw, Ashleigh Dennis, Darlene Huang Briggs, Emma Kaeser, Jill Krueger, Joanna S. Suder and Susan Fleurant

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, Network attorneys and staff have identified six key policies with the potential to significantly improve mental health outcomes across the United States. This policy brief covers a wide range of areas focused on communities and those who work to support communities. It is designed as a practical resource for public health professionals, leaders, and partners, offering strategies to enhance mental health and well-being while reducing disparities in mental health care.

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­Overview of State and Local Equity Offices: 2024 Edition

ReportMechanisms for Advancing Health EquityRacism as a Public Health Crisis

April 24, 2024
by Phyllis Jeden

Many state and local governments have established offices of equity or similar entities to prioritize equity in government policies and procedures, and to lead and support equity work within the communities they serve. The first edition of this resource provided detailed examples of cities or counties across 12 states that established such offices. This 2024 Edition provides a non-exhaustive list of states, cities and counties across the country that have established such offices and includes some information on the offices found.

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­A Snapshot of Four 2023 Supreme Court Cases and their Impacts on Racial Health Equity­

Fact SheetMechanisms for Advancing Health EquityRacism as a Public Health Crisis

March 7, 2024
by April Shaw and Phyllis Jeden

Law and policy play a critical role in shaping health outcomes especially when it comes to racial health equity. While legislative actions and trends matter, it is also important to understand the role of the courts in altering legal landscapes in ways that can positively or negatively impact racial health disparities. This fact sheet highlights four 2023 U.S. Supreme Court cases with examples of how each potentially impacts racial health equity. It also provides a further examination of two cases of the cases that can be classified as wins for racial health equity.

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­Racial Equity Interests and Needs Assessment

ReportMechanisms for Advancing Health EquityMechanisms for Advancing Public Health

September 22, 2023
by Betsy Lawton, Carrie Waggoner, Chris Alibrandi O’Connor, Dawn Hunter, Kerri McGowan Lowrey, Phyllis Jeden and Sara Rogers

By May of 2020, the realities of the inequitable toll of COVID-19 on communities of color became starkly evident, and the murder of George Floyd sparked a renewed movement for racial justice in the United States. During this time, the Network began earnestly exploring how best to respond and be of assistance in a rapidly changing environment. An internal Health Equity Work Group (HEWG) was established to create a space for connection and learning, and to identify ways to collaborate across regions to be responsive to what we were observing and experiencing. One of the early actions identified by the HEWG was to “evaluate what services and supports Network users are interested in” via tools like an environmental scan, stakeholder interviews, and focus groups. This report explores the process that was undertaken to answer that question and the key findings and themes relevant to health and racial equity work across a variety of public health practitioners and organizations.

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­Creating an Equitable Landscape for Lactation Consultant Licensure in Rhode Island

Policy BriefHealth and Health CareWorkforce ExpansionMaternal and Child HealthReproductive Health and Equity 

June 21, 2023
by Dawn Hunter and Sara Rogers

Requiring licensure for lactation consultants (a healthcare professional who specializes in the clinical management of breastfeeding) can lead to increased quality of lactation-based care, but it can also lead to barriers to entry into the lactation consulting profession resulting in a workforce lacking in diversity. The regulatory environment in Rhode Island for lactation consultants provides valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities faced by states interested in ensuring the quality of care provided to parents and infants while also ensuring that competent and trained professionals do not experience unnecessary occupational barriers.

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Prison Procurement Laws in the Southeast

Fact SheetMechanisms for Advancing Health Equity

June 1, 2023
by Dawn Hunter

Incarcerated workers across the U.S. provide valuable goods and services, producing items used in state and local government agencies and engaging in work like road repair, firefighting, and post-disaster clean-up. They generate more than $2 billion a year in goods and $9 billion a year in services, but are not covered by typical workplace protections, like minimum wage and workplace safety laws. It is important for states to strike a balance between the requirements for prison labor and protecting the health and well-being of incarcerated people. This Fact Sheet summarizes prison procurement laws in states in the Network’s Southeastern Region, prompted by a question from the state of Virginia.

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