Overview Since late 2020, many state and local governments have established offices of equity or equivalent entities to prioritize equity in government policies and procedures,…
This report, produced by the Network as part of the Act for Public Health initiative, examines laws impacting public health authority that have been passed as of May 20, 2022 and provides analysis of how they significantly weaken the collective ability of public health to respond effectively in future pandemics and other emergencies, and to carry out day-to-day public health activities.
This report uses a revised Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) framework put forward by Ruqaiijah Yearby to examine the role of law as a tool to address structural discrimination, with a focus on health impacts across the lifespan. This framework illustrates how law and the systems it interacts with can shape health and well-being and identifies structural discrimination as the root cause of disparities in health outcomes.
This report provides a brief history of public health authority and its important role in protecting the health of communities. The report also provides examples of specific laws that would limit public health authority.
This report updates and expands on the initial rapid COVID-19 legal assessment published in August 2020 and offers policy recommendations on 35 wide-ranging topics, from pandemic preparedness and expanding health care to conducting sound elections and adapting immigration policy.
This paper identifies barriers to OAT access and potential solutions to improve OAT uptake in eight sectors.
This new report offers policy recommendations on 35 wide-ranging topics, including pandemic preparedness, access to health care, voter health and safety, protections for essential workers, food insecurity and immigration policy.
As part of their prevention efforts, fire departments educate communities about fire prevention and many provide and install smoke alarms in residences. This Report examines what liability, if any, fire departments have in this regard.
This report examines how school health providers, who work at the intersection of health and education, can play a critical role in reducing chronic absence.
This report, co-authored by attorneys from the Network for Public Health Law and the University of Michigan School of Public Health, details why shortcomings in the structure and implementation of laws related to public health, safe drinking water, and emergency financial management failed to stop or mitigate the Flint water crisis. Along with key findings, the report provides recommendations to help prevent similar crises from happening in other communities.
