A Recent Court Ruling Could Have Serious Implications for Public Sector Vaccine Mandates 

The COVID-19 pandemic spurred an unprecedented national vaccination campaign, prompting new legal challenges to vaccination mandates. While vaccine mandates have been upheld since Jacobson v. Massachusetts, recent court decisions indicate the potential for a change in the form of a requirement that all public sector vaccine mandates include a religious exemption.  Studies show that states with religious exemptions tend to have much lower vaccine rates, making the possibility of required religious exceptions of significant concern for public health.

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act: Reasonable Accommodations to Keep Pregnant Workers Safely Employed  

Congress is poised to do something few of us expect of them—pass bi-partisan public health legislation: The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). The PWFA is intended to “eliminate discrimination and promote women’s health and economic security by ensuring reasonable workplace accommodations for workers whose ability to perform the functions of a job are limited by pregnancy, childbirth, or a related medical condition.”

Legality of Dispensing Naloxone to Minors in Colorado

The overdose reversal medication naloxone is critical to ongoing efforts to reduce the harm caused by opioids, which are responsible for most of the nation’s overdose deaths. Like many states, Colorado law permits distribution of naloxone to those at risk of overdosing and others who might be in a position to prevent someone from overdosing. Because substance use disorders often begin in adolescence, there are many reasons why those under 18 might want to have access to naloxone. This resource outlines the legality of dispensing the medication to those under age 18 in Colorado.

Public Health Law Webinars – COVID-19 Collection

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised significant public health legal and policy issues. In response, the Network has conducted an ongoing series of webinars covering a broad range of issues related to the pandemic, including crisis standards of care; strategies to promote mental health; vaccine distribution; ensuring quality care for vulnerable populations; housing and food insecurity, and strengthening protections for families and communities. Access these webinars for evidence-based information and best practices, and to deepen your knowledge and understanding of the critical issues that have surfaced in response to COVID-19. 

Invitation to Contribute to the Network Racial Equity Survey

The Network is committed to working with our partners and constituents to identify laws, policies and actions that can advance equity and address the barriers to good health in our communities. We invite you to contribute to this growing body of work by completing a brief survey. Your responses will provide valuable insight into the interests and needs of people and organizations working to advance racial equity in the communities they serve. The survey is anonymous. No identifying information will be connected to your survey responses. We also invite you to join us for one of our virtual focus group sessions where we will have a deeper conversation about this topic. Take the survey. Sign up for a focus group session.

Keynote Speaker: 2021 Public Health Law Conference

September 21 - 23, 2021 | Baltimore, MD

The Network is pleased to announce Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith, Dean and Professor at the Charles R. Drew University College of Medicine, as keynote speaker for the 2021 Public Health Law Conference. Dr. Prothrow-Stith broke new ground with efforts to define youth violence as a public health issue, and more recently has focused on how the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected African Americans. 

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