Network Report Thursday, August 13, 2020 
Join us for a virtual two-day Summit examining key issues surfaced by the COVID-19 pandemic and paths forward to more effective and equitable response and recovery efforts. Twenty concurrent sessions will cover critical issues including health equity for marginalized communities; drug and vaccine development and access; federal, state and local emergency measures; voter safety and participation; and more. See the full session list and descriptions here.
Evaluating Equity in Public Health Laws and Policies – A Critical Tool at a Critical Time Conducting a regular assessment of laws and policies is a strategy for addressing health equity, especially when that assessment includes and is informed by community perspectives. The Equity Assessment Framework for Public Health Laws and Policies is a tool designed to assist policymakers and practitioners in assessing new and existing laws and policies through an equity perspective. This framework can be applied to statutes, regulations, ordinances, resolutions, declarations, organizational policies, and policy guidance that either directly impact public health or impact the operations of agencies or organizations responsible for health outcomes. 
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased food insecurity across the country and Native American communities are acutely impacted because of poverty and loss of traditional food systems and practices (hunting, gathering, and cultivating culturally relevant and locally available foods). The scope of Native American food insecurity prior to COVID-19, while difficult to quantify, is an important baseline for understanding the challenge facing this community, the resources that are needed and whether current governmental programs are adequately meeting those needs. 
In April, the New Mexico Supreme Court rejected a petition to conduct an all-mail ballot for the state’s June 2 Primary Election due to COVID-19. Instead, the Court ruled that all qualified Primary Election voters should be mailed an application for an absentee ballot in addition to opening in-person polling locations. A former public health attorney serving as a public health advisor during the New Mexico election discusses the impact of that decision.
Resources: State Laws and Regulations Addressing Fluoridation in Water Community water fluoridation is recommended by nearly all health organizations, including the American Dental Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, U.S. Public Health Service, and World Health Organization. Many studies have illustrated the benefits of a fluoridated community water supply, particularly in preventing tooth decay. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, community water fluoridation is a cost-effective, efficient way to deliver fluoride to all members of a community. Because of its effectiveness at reducing dental caries, water fluoridation is known as one of the ten great public health achievements of the 20th century. This resource provides a summary of the laws and regulations regarding water fluoridation in each U.S. state and select jurisdictions.
Webinars: COVID-19 in Indian Country: Past Policy, Current Responses, and Future Implications August 18 | 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. ET The coronavirus pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on Native Americans and Tribal communities. In response, Tribes have exercised their inherent sovereignty to implement a range of infection control measures. Join us for a discussion of Tribal sovereignty and Tribal public health law, including recent Tribal actions to control COVID-19 within Indian Country along with an examination of the policies that have resulted in inequities that persist today; and specific examples of how the pandemic has affected other public health issues in Tribal communities and solutions moving forward. 
August 20 & September 9 | 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. ET Join us for a description of how the IZ Gateway Project Portfolio will support your state’s role in mass vaccination for COVID-19. We will examine how the IZ Gateway Project facilitates secure data sharing for state immunization systems in compliance with federal and state law. This webinar will provide an in-depth look at the legal relationships between jurisdictions, the IZ Gateway Project and reporting/querying provider organizations, and the associated trust agreements.
Worth Sharing: Generating Legal Cohesion across US Responses to COVID-19 James Hodge, director of the Network’s Western Region Office, co-authored this op-ed in The Hill that argues that uniform national responses to the COVID-19 pandemic cannot prevail as long as emergency public health laws reflect political preferences over scientific evidence, and that overcoming political interferences with evidence-based responses entails public health law and policy approaches that rise above political gesturing and economic pressures. How States Collect Data, Report, and Act on COVID-19 Racial and Ethnic Disparities This chart from the National Academy for State Health Policy details which states are reporting case, mortality, and testing data by race and ethnicity on a state, zip code, or community level, and what initiatives they are taking to address race and health inequities. In this Georgetown Law Journal article, Lawrence Gostin and Eric Friedman examine the global failure to effectively contain and respond to COVID-19, along with the underlying inequalities and health system deficits the pandemic has exposed, and call for a redesign of the global health infrastructure.
Tell Us What You're Working On.
Our law and policy experts can help you identify the key considerations central to your unique challenges and provide law and policy pathways you can leverage to make a difference.
Thank you! Your interest in the work of the Network is important. Together, we can advance law as a tool to improve public health. Please forward the Network Report and encourage others to join the Network! The Network for Public Health Law provides information and technical assistance on issues related to public health. The legal information and assistance provided in this document does not constitute legal advice or legal representation. For legal advice, readers should consult a lawyer in their state.
|
