by Overview On November 25, 2025, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced a policy of sharing CMS data with the Department…
by Overview Twenty-five years after the finalization of the Privacy Rule, the public health landscape—particularly with respect to information technology and the way…
by Overview Artificial intelligence (AI), particularly generative AI, is being used with increasing frequency at all levels of federal and state government, including…
The Network for Public Health Law’s Racial Health Equity Legal and Policy Cohort (RHE Cohort) helps public health departments, community organizations, and advocates use law and policy to address structural racism and advance racial justice. Through tailored legal technical assistance, training, and peer learning, the program strengthens the capacity of organizations to design and implement equity-focused strategies that improve community health. This factsheet shares real examples of how the Cohort supports organizations across the country in tackling structural barriers and advancing racial justice and health equity.
All 50 states and the District of Columbia have modified their laws to increase access to naloxone, the standard first-line treatment for opioid overdose. While these laws have been successful in increasing access to this lifesaving medication, few explicitly address the legality of distributing and administering naloxone that is past its expiration date. This fact sheet discusses whether Idaho laws forbid the prescription, dispensing, distribution, possession, or administration of expired naloxone and whether medical professionals and others who take such actions might be held liable.
School-based student health surveys have proven to be an important tool for identifying emerging problems in youth physical, behavioral, and mental health and wellbeing; tracking trends; and developing policy and programmatic interventions. Despite their importance in improving youth health, these surveys have come under scrutiny in recent years. A cultural narrative emerged that parents lack control of their children’s educational curriculum, materials, and activities (like the school-based health surveys). Some states now require active consent for all surveys administered to students. This resource examines state laws regarding parental consent and student surveys.
Knowledge of legal and policy tools that may be used to advance public health at the local level can increase the effectiveness of public health practitioners and community advocates in bringing about lasting systems change. This fact describes a number of legal and policy tools commonly used at the local level, together with one or more examples of how they might be used to advance public health and health equity.
The president has issued numerous executive orders since taking office. The lawfulness of the executive orders and executive actions has been challenged in lawsuits across a range of topics, with success in a substantial majority of cases. Nevertheless, implementation of these executive orders, and related executive actions, is already having harmful effects on public health, and could cause irrevocable harm. This resource discusses the potential impact of recent executive orders on climate change and public health goals.
While larger public water systems are regulated by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, smaller wells, including private wells serving individual homes and rental properties are not. As natural disasters caused or exacerbated by climate change are on the rise, the one in eight Americans that rely on private wells for drinking water, largely in rural communities, should be aware of the potential health risks that flooding, storms, and wildfires pose for their drinking water. This resource details some statewide laws that require landlords to test water quality and disclose those results to tenants.
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.
Local governments and community-based organizations seeking to improve public health through increasing access to nutritious food should consider the role of transportation policy. Demand Responsive Transit (DRT) is an alternative to public transportation that allows users to utilize smaller vans or buses without any fixed schedule or route. This resource includes case studies on DRT that could be applied in healthy food priority areas to increase access to healthy foods.
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.
