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Fact Sheet Mechanisms for Advancing Health EquityMechanisms for Advancing Public Health

­Types of Legal and Policy Tools to Protect Community Health at the Local Level: A Brief Introduction

July 23, 2025

Overview

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 sheet 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.