News & Insights

Building on a Year of Challenge: Public Health in 2026 Dear Colleagues and Friends,  As we begin 2026, I want to wish you a happy New…

Many states have recently introduced parental rights legislation in response to a perceived lack of parental authority in educational settings. Largely driven by politics, these laws are not created with implementation in mind, causing confusion and compromising the care provided by school nurses, which is essential healthcare for many school-aged children.

Advancing health equity is central to the Network’s mission, and supporting the leaders driving this work is essential to improving community health. The Network recently launched the Equity Officer Peer Group for those working in equity to come together to learn and discuss successes, opportunities, and challenges in this work. Even if equity is just one aspect of your work, we invite you to join us in creating a supportive community for those working to advance health equity.

States rely on data from the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) to identify and monitor troubling trends in adolescent health and develop programmatic and policy interventions. In January, YRBSS data were among many federal data resources pulled from public access in response to vague and scientifically unsupported executive orders signed by President Trump. The result is a dangerous blind spot at precisely the moment when schools, health agencies, and policymakers need clear information the most.

The divide between states seeking to restrict abortion and states permitting it continues to widen, as the former pursue new, increasingly draconian, maneuvers to restrict abortion access and the latter bolster protections in response. The intra-state conflict incited by this divide is coming to a head in a legal struggle between Texas and New York. The lawsuit, Texas v. Bruck,  challenges enforcement of a New York shield law and threatens the viability of such legal safeguards moving forward, with major consequences for reproductive health care access.

The divide between states seeking to restrict abortion and states permitting it continues to widen, as the former pursue new, increasingly draconian, maneuvers to restrict abortion access and the latter bolster protections in response. The intra-state conflict incited by this divide is coming to a head in a legal struggle between Texas and New York. The lawsuit, Texas v. Bruck,  challenges enforcement of a New York shield law and threatens the viability of such legal safeguards moving forward, with major consequences for reproductive health care access.

The divide between states seeking to restrict abortion and states permitting it continues to widen, as the former pursue new, increasingly draconian, maneuvers to restrict abortion access and the latter bolster protections in response. The intra-state conflict incited by this divide is coming to a head in a legal struggle between Texas and New York. The lawsuit, Texas v. Bruck,  challenges enforcement of a New York shield law and threatens the viability of such legal safeguards moving forward, with major consequences for reproductive health care access.

President Trump and members of his administration have justified recent deadly assaults on civilians abroad by claiming that the boats they were in were carrying illicit drugs and that the alleged drug smuggling “constitutes an armed attack on the United States.” We have effective prevention, treatment, and harm reduction interventions that reduce overdose and other harms. The U.S. should embrace and fund those initiatives at home, not engage in inhumane, unjust, and ineffective attacks abroad.

Connection, Collaboration, Community—and Courage: Lessons from the 2025 Public Health Law Conference  The recently held 2025 Public Health Law Conference convened at a time when…

States rely on data from the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) to identify and monitor troubling trends in adolescent health and develop programmatic and policy interventions. In January, YRBSS data were among many federal data resources pulled from public access in response to vague and scientifically unsupported executive orders signed by President Trump. The result is a dangerous blind spot at precisely the moment when schools, health agencies, and policymakers need clear information the most.

States rely on data from the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) to identify and monitor troubling trends in adolescent health and develop programmatic and policy interventions. In January, YRBSS data were among many federal data resources pulled from public access in response to vague and scientifically unsupported executive orders signed by President Trump. The result is a dangerous blind spot at precisely the moment when schools, health agencies, and policymakers need clear information the most.

States rely on data from the CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) to identify and monitor troubling trends in adolescent health and develop programmatic and policy interventions. In January, YRBSS data were among many federal data resources pulled from public access in response to vague and scientifically unsupported executive orders signed by President Trump. The result is a dangerous blind spot at precisely the moment when schools, health agencies, and policymakers need clear information the most.