Susan Fleurant

Entities covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act are often targets of cybersecurity attacks. The Department of Health and Human Services  Office for Civil Rights reported that from 2019 to 2023, breach reports affecting over 500 individuals involving hacking have increased by 89 percent and those involving ransomware have increased 102 percent. In February 2024, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released a comprehensive cybersecurity resource guide on implementing the Security Rule along with a list of cybersecurity resources for HIPAA-regulated entities.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights issued a Final Rule, effective June 25, 2024, to strengthen privacy protections under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for protected health information (PHI) related to reproductive health care of an individual. This resource highlights the changes outlined in the rule and the considerations for health departments.

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, Network attorneys and staff have identified six key policies with the potential to significantly improve mental health outcomes across the United States. This policy brief covers a wide range of areas focused on communities and those who work to support communities. It is designed as a practical resource for public health professionals, leaders, and partners, offering strategies to enhance mental health and well-being while reducing disparities in mental health care.

This Micro-Toolkit is a simple, accessible framework that will guide you through six steps to assess potential equity implications for a new or existing policy and help you identify opportunities for improvement and for continued assessment.

This legal technical assistance resource addresses two questions with regard to nuisance abatement in Missouri: whether a third-class county in Missouri has legal authority to adopt a nuisance abatement ordinance, and examples of nuisance abatement ordinances in Missouri.

This legal technical assistance resource addresses two questions with regard to nuisance abatement in Missouri: whether a third-class county in Missouri has legal authority to adopt a nuisance abatement ordinance, and examples of nuisance abatement ordinances in Missouri.

This legal technical assistance resource outlines the legal considerations involved when a local public health agency wants to develop a resource or service sharing agreement with another jurisdiction.

This legal technical assistance resource addresses two questions related to harm reduction in Missouri, including use of opioid settlement funds and Missouri drug paraphernalia laws and syringe service programs.

Missouri’s 115 local public health agencies (LPHAs) provide key public health functions to Missouri residents, including assessing local health needs and risks; developing policies and planning programs to improve health; and enforcing public health laws and promoting equitable access to basic health care. Like all local health departments across the country, Missouri’s LPHAs rely on state-specific legal authority granted via the state constitution, statutes, and regulations to perform these functions. Access to state-specific legal information is essential for LPHAs to fulfill their responsibilities efficiently and effectively. The Network for Public Health Law partnered with the Missouri Center for Public Health Excellence to provide the training, legal technical assistance, and resources listed here to support Missouri’s local public health agencies.

The newly issued Biden Administration HIPAA Final Rule seeks to strengthen privacy protections under HIPAA for protected health information potentially related to reproductive health care. Join Network attorneys as they discuss key provisions, potential implementation challenges and what this means for public health, including how the rule may affect data transfers for public health purposes.

People who are incarcerated have higher rates of chronic health conditions; these conditions tend to worsen upon their release, primarily due to barriers to accessing health care. Despite evidence that Community Health Workers (CHWs) with lived experience of incarceration can help to improve outcomes for individuals reentering their communities, significant barriers impede hiring them to provide direct client care. Attend this webinar to learn about the legal barriers to hiring CHWs with incarceration histories and opportunities for policy change. 

Students of color, students with disabilities, boys — and particularly those at the intersection of these identities — continue to experience disproportionate rates of discipline. School discipline practices can impede child development, result in reduced instructional time, harm mental health, and increase involvement in the juvenile justice system, among other impacts on health and wellbeing. This year, federal and state agencies have announced renewed efforts to enforce students’ civil rights in school to address longstanding inequities.