Health Justice, Homelessness and Sanitation: Confronting a National Public Health Crisis
June 28, 2018
Overview
The U.S. is grappling with its worst hepatitis A virus (HAV) outbreak since the federal government approved a vaccine in 1995. As of May 2018, state and local jurisdictions in California, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia have declared outbreaks spread through person to person contact, with at least 2660 cases and 57 deaths reported to date. This escalating emergency is rooted in a long-neglected public health crisis. In communities nationwide, adequate, safe, clean, and accessible public toilets, sinks, laundry facilities, and showers are scarce or altogether absent. The shortfalls are measurable and disproportionately affect people experiencing homelessness (PEH)—especially the 1 in 3 without shelter on any given night. Without adequate public sanitation and hygiene access, PEH have no choice but to urinate and defecate on the streets and forgo handwashing, laundry, and bathing. These conditions contribute to inequitable HAV burden and other physical and mental population health harms on PEH.
This webinar will examine the population health consequences of lack of sanitation and hygiene access on PEH, highlighting legal, policy, and community strategies that promote access to essential services.
View/download the Presentation Slides
By attending this webinar, you will learn about:
- The connection between sanitation and hygiene access, homelessness, and the national HAV outbreak
- Current government responses to the U.S. HAV outbreak
How meaningful participatory processes can strengthen policy efforts to address sanitation and hygiene inequities from advocacy to implementation - Legal and policy opportunities to further sanitation and hygiene access for PEH
Moderator:
- Corey S. Davis, JD, MSPH, Deputy Director and Staff Attorney, The Network for Public Health Law – Southeastern Region Office and Senior Attorney at the National Health Law Program
Presenters:
- Madeline Morcelle, JD, MPH, Staff Attorney, The Network for Public Health Law – Western Region
- Lauren Dunning, JD, MPH, Liaison to the Board of Supervisors, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
- Greg Spiegel, JD, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Inner City Law Center
You may qualify for CLE credit. ASLME is an approved provider of continuing legal education credits in several states ASLME will also apply for CLE credits in other states upon request. An email from ASLME regarding CLE credits will be sent to attendees following the webinar.
