The Healthy People 2020 Law and Health Policy project released the first of a series of reports and products this month, highlighting ways law and policy can support healthy eating across the lifespan, focusing on three areas crucial to health equity: access, affordability, and demand for healthy foods.
Over the past several months, in the lead-up to our 2018 Public Health Law Conference, we asked Network members and friends what health justice means to you. Your insights, along with a survey of the legal and policy issues impacting health equity, informed the strong and diverse programming for the more than 40 sessions organized for the conference.
The World Health Organization points to low immunization as a major factor in a measles outbreak in Europe with over 41,000 cases so far in 2018. Given that most of the measles cases in the U.S. result from unvaccinated individuals who contract the disease in other countries, this outbreak is concerning in light of declining U.S. vaccination rates.
Recently passed resolutions in the House and Senate recognize the importance, effectiveness and need for trauma-informed care. The resolutions cite examples of trauma informed practices, programs and policies implemented, many from local communities with some involving a legal component.
All but two states collect revenue through one or more types of gambling. The nature of gambling has changed in recent years, however, with the proliferation of Daily Fantasy Sports. Public health should be concerned about these gambling trends and legal changes because gambling can have a deleterious effect on the health of a community.
In June, the New York Court of Appeals upheld a New York City Health Code requiring annual flu vaccination for children who attend city-regulated child care or school-based programs -- a significant victory for public health.
Access to broadband is increasingly being recognized as an important social determinant of health; however, approximately 34 million people in the U.S. still lack broadband access, particularly those in rural communities. Federal and state policies can facilitate expansion of broadband access.
More women in the U.S. die from pregnancy complications than in any other developed country, and the rate of maternal deaths continues to rise. Recent legislation supports the development of a model for states to operate maternal mortality reviews and develop appropriate interventions to reduce and prevent such deaths.
Some of the public health law and policy stories that made headlines recently include a Justice Department declaration that key provisions of the Affordable Care Act are unconstitutional, a proposed change to a Medicaid rule to address the opioid crisis, and rising suicide rates in the U.S.
The U.S. is experiencing its worst outbreak of hepatitis A in over 20 years. The outbreak has primarily affected people experiencing homelessness (PEH) due to their lack of access to sanitation and hygiene facilities. In Los Angeles alone, one study found only nine public toilets for every 1,777 PEH. As a result, the city has initiated community and local government interventions designed to address this shortfall.
Extension programs connect land grant universities and the larger public, bringing academic research to communities that can apply it. Programming at the recently held National Health Outreach Conference, sponsored by the Cooperative Extension System, focused on engaging in a culture of health and highlighted ways in which Extension programs are collaborating with others to advance community health.
Tax exemptions can be used effectively to encourage the purchase of consumer goods that support public health and safety by reducing the rate of injury or death. A few states have passed sales tax exemptions that fit the bill for public health, including exemptions for child car seats, bicycle helmets, and fire-safety equipment for homes. But these types of tax exemptions are often underutilized.
