Fact Sheet

While many states require heating equipment to be installed or minimum temperatures maintained in rental dwelling units, few, if any, states have implemented similar requirements to provide cooling equipment to be installed or temperatures be maintained to prevent people from suffering the health effects of extreme heat where they live.  As temperatures rise due to climate change, local cities and counties are considering ordinances to do just that. This resource summarizes some key features of selected local ordinances.

Though state and local health departments are commonly given broad authority to serve their mandate to protect the health of the people in their jurisdictions, they are also tasked with many affirmative duties. This fact sheet lists some of these key public health service requirements of the Tennessee Department of Health and the state’s local health departments.

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.