Fact Sheet

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has indicated that he may lift the FDA’s ban on the interstate sale of raw milk and introduce voluntary raw milk standards for states to adopt. To prepare for these potential federal regulatory changes, states should be aware of their authority to regulate the intrastate sale of raw milk and consider implementing regulations that further minimize consumer risk. This Fact Sheet provides a background on raw milk and potential federal regulatory changes, along with strategies for states to prepare for this change.

School-entry vaccination requirements have proven to be one of the most effective public health tools for reducing childhood illness, preventing premature deaths, and controlling the spread of infectious diseases across populations. While recent shifts in federal leadership raise concerns about the future of national immunization efforts, the authority and responsibility to maintain vaccine mandates largely rest with state and local governments. This Fact Sheet outlines how states are well-positioned to uphold and adapt their vaccination policies to protect public health, regardless of federal changes.

Despite the recognized health benefits and minimal risk of fluoridation, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the recently confirmed Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has announced that “the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water." Removing drinking water fluoridation risks diminishing oral health overall and exacerbating existing oral health disparities. Children from low-income households are much more likely to have untreated cavities than children from higher income households. This Fact Sheet will discuss the federal government’s power to regulate fluoride in drinking water. It will also discuss the role of state and local government in this space

Proponents of the December 23, 2004 Health Care Privacy (Rule) say it is vital to ensuring confidentiality of communications between patients and health care providers. Nevertheless, litigation aiming to invalidate the new Rule continues. This factsheet provides an overview of four lawsuits against the Rule and what might be gleaned from these cases about the new administration’s position on HIPAA’s protections for reproductive health care.

A Community Information Exchanges (CIE™) is a community governed network of health and social service providers that can facilitate data sharing among healthcare, social services, and community-based organizations to facilitate more holistic and coordinated care, and advance public health. This resource examines common features of legal frameworks developed to facilitate the flow of information in CIEs around the country.

This resource provides an explanation of the source and breadth of public health authority granted to the Deputy Health Officers and local Boards of Health in Delaware. It also provides information that can help inform and educate state and local decisionmakers on the meaning of public health authority and the complexities that exist, including the extensive limitations that restrict existing public health authority.

This resource provides an overview of several of the Trump Administration’s immigration-related executive actions and identifies legal challenges. It then highlights how these and other anti-immigrant efforts harm the public’s health and deepen health inequities. Finally, it provides answers to frequent questions on implications for health departments, community-based organizations, and others navigating the changing landscape.

This resource explores current applications of AI in school health and highlights potential benefits as well as some of the barriers that may arise during implementation. It also briefly describes the regulatory framework of AI technologies, including the FDA’s oversight of medical AI, federal recommendations, and state regulations, and concludes with recommendations for promoting responsible and ethical use of AI in school nursing.

On February 8, 2024, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services released a final rule modifying the Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder Patient Records regulations at 42 CFR Part 2. The updates are significant and will affect the operations of every Part 2 program and provider. This resource provides practitioners and public health officials with a deeper understanding of the updates to Part 2.

Data modernization initiatives hold the key, not just to better data infrastructure, but to identifying and reducing health disparities. This fact sheet highlights health disparities rooted in racism and explores how public health data modernization is crucial to reducing them. 

Research indicates that policies designed to facilitate home ownership may do more to improve health and wellbeing, as well as economic stability, than renter protections. Home ownership rates in the U.S. remain low, especially among Black and Hispanic residents. One of the significant barriers is the need for most first-time homebuyers to obtain mortgages, which require that they have decent credit scores, steady incomes, and cash reserves to qualify. Federal and state mortgage lenders and/or assistance programs can remove some of these barriers to homeownership. This fact sheet discusses state and federal mortgage and homeownership assistance programs.

Safe, stable housing can contribute to improvements in mental and physical health, civic engagement, social skills, educational and professional achievement, and can decrease use of emergency services. When housing is affordable, it can prevent stunted growth in children and decrease hospitalizations. Unfortunately, safe and stable housing via ownership is not attainable for everyone. The number of people in the U.S. experiencing homelessness has been increasing steadily for the past several years. A system of “shared ownership” called a community land trust especially in areas facing rapid economic change and appreciating land values. This fact sheet offers a comparison of Community Land Trusts and traditional homeownership.