Donna E. Levin Appointed as Chair of the Network for Public Health Law’s Advisory Board The Network for Public Health Law (Network) announces the appointment…
The Network’s Privacy Officer Peer Group convenes privacy officers from public health agencies to provide peer support and share resources. Each year, the Network hosts quarterly Peer Group Learning Sessions on topics relevant to the work of privacy officers in public health. The four sessions held in 2024 addressed a range of issues relevant to privacy officers and provided opportunities for group discussion.
The privacy of sensitive reproductive health data remains precarious despite the HIPAA Final Rule to Support Reproductive Health Care Privacy, which went into effect in June 2024. Much remains to be seen in the coming months as lawsuits proceed and federal policies shift with a change in administration. For now, the Final Rule provides important, albeit limited, protections to uphold privacy, improve access to appropriate care, and counteract punitive surveillance that undermines health.
With mounting threats to indoor air quality, many public health practitioners and community leaders are looking for practical and legal strategies to improve indoor ventilation and filtration. In addition to the Model Clean Indoor Air Act, one practical strategy to make a quick and cost-effective improvement in indoor air quality – modifying box fans by adding air filters overcomes the barrier to access posed by the high cost of HEPA filters and commercial air purifiers.
The Network is excited to formally announce the promotion of Stephen Murphy, J.D., to the position of Director, Mid-States Region. Previously, Stephen held the roles of Interim Director and Deputy Director. Under his continued leadership, the Mid-States Region team will broaden the Network’s portfolio of work in public health data access, privacy, and sharing. This expansion includes providing legal support to the federal government’s data modernization initiative in collaboration with the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB); and offering legal technical assistance to the CDC’s Core Data Use Agreement Initiative to enhance national data exchange. Under Stephen’s leadership, the Mid-States Region will also bolster the Network’s efforts in promoting legal and policy solutions that advance health and health equity through direct legal technical assistance and capacity-building support to health agencies.
Warm wishes for the New Year, a time of new beginnings when our thoughts turn to how our collective efforts to advance health in communities across the country can be turned into reality. This year is likely to present challenges, especially considering the new presidential administration, but we have been here before. Just as we have done in the past when the political climate intensified around governmental authority, in particular public health authority, we are ready to act as a guide, partner, and resource to assistance in advancing the public’s health and health equity, despite barriers to this work.
There is clear evidence of racism’s broad impact on health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “A growing body of research from leading organizations demonstrates that racism itself—above and beyond other social determinants of health—negatively impacts health outcomes.” Yet, at the same time that jurisdictions across the nation have taken steps to progress health equity and recognize that racism is a public health crisis, there has also been an alarming trend of states actively restricting education on these crucial topics.
It has become increasingly important for public health to navigate the disruptiveness of a capricious political climate in our continued efforts to protect the health of communities across the country. State-level advocacy is not just beneficial, it is essential to maintaining and advancing community health. The newly released 50 State Scans of Public Health Advocacy Capacity report provides valuable information for advocates, public health practitioners, policymakers, and funders to identify partners who can work together and leverage their collective resources to achieve large-scale positive—and equitable—health outcomes for communities.
Despite increasing acceptance of harm reduction as an important and necessary component of the country’s efforts to reduce the overwhelming number of opioid overdose deaths, harm reduction law and policy has seen both ups and downs in the past year. However, there is a movement to support people who use drugs, to improve the public’s health, to save lives, and to impart basic human dignity to all.
Women are disproportionately affected by food insecurity, and these disparities are even more pronounced during pregnancy, with some studies estimating that one in five pregnant people face food insecurity. There is growing interest in positioning food insecurity as a health issue requiring a health care response. Federal and state programs that center "food as medicine" show promise in addressing the negative health outcomes that can result from food insecurity, improving both maternal and child health outcomes.
As we find ourselves in the wake of another election and having seen the outpouring of supportive messages from so many of our public health and community partners, we're reminded once again of the strength of our collective commitment to efforts that improve the well-being of individuals, families, and communities across the country. How we navigate the post-election landscape will have a lasting impact on democracy, the social determinants of health, and public health authority.
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.
