News & Insights

Effective messaging of public health issues and solutions is essential to public health practice and especially to developing public health laws and policies in a polarized political environment. A number of strategies presented in the workshop were grounded in Moral Foundations Theory, which offers insights into moral psychology and decision-making that are helpful for understanding how value judgments are made.

Since 1965, chlorpyrifos has been a commonly used pesticide, and nearly six million pounds of it are used domestically each year on more than fifty different types of crops. Scientists have linked the pesticide to harmful effects in children and adults, including developmental damage to children’s brains, reduced intelligence levels, loss of working memory, and attention deficit disorders. A proposed a ban by the Environmental Protection Agency on the use of chlorpyrifos slated to go into effect in March, 2017 has been denied, leaving states to decide whether to take action to subject the pesticide to more stringent rules.

The opioid overdose epidemic is a continuing public health crisis. When we began tracking laws aimed to increase access to naloxone in late 2012, they existed in only eight states. As of July 1, 2017, every state and Washington D.C. has passed at least one law increasing access to naloxone—a remarkably rapid progression for public health legislation.

Vaccine policies play a vital role in protecting public health and are particularly relevant given the recent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. In this Q&A, the co-authors of the article, “The Latest in Vaccine Policies: Selected Issues in School Vaccinations, Healthcare Worker Vaccinations, and Pharmacist Vaccination and Authority Laws” discuss this critical public health issue.

Some of the public health law and policy stories that made headlines in June include local food production regulation in Maine; body art regulation; prohibiting the sale of flavored tobacco; tobacco use; the effectiveness of ‘baby boxes’ in improving safe sleep for newborns; mental health care and telemedicine; Hawaii law and climate change; and hospitals partnering with lawyers to help patients.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the health care industry is now the number one target for cyber attacks. Unauthorized access to health information impedes public health efforts. Understanding the role of cybersecurity is central to managing risks to both the health and public health sector.

Some of the public health law and policy stories that made headlines in May include new legislation in Delaware addressing opioid addiction and overdose; states’ efforts to change laws that prohibit the use of sunscreen in schools; active transportation as a tool for increasing physical activity among children; regulation of donated breastmilk; the gap in maternal care in the U.S.; and the impact of federal and state preemption on local paid sick leave laws.

The inability to afford diapers for babies and toddlers is a significant source of stress for low-income families. As discussed in a previous Network blog post, gaps in federal safety net programs currently prevent them from addressing this challenge. However, innovative strategies to address diaper need are emerging.

The recently released Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics supplemental issue features articles authored by presenters at the Public Health Law Conference in Washington D.C. Corey Davis, deputy director at the Network for Public Health Law – Southeastern Region Office, co-authored the article, “Action, Not Rhetoric, Needed to Reverse the Opioid Overdose Epidemic.” In the following Q&A, Corey discusses his article and how it addresses a critical public health issue.

The recently released Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics supplemental issue features articles authored by presenters at the Public Health Law Conference in Washington, D.C. Jill Krueger, director at the Network for Public Health Law – Northern Region Office, co-authored the article, “Promoting Mental Health and Well-Being in Public Health Law Practice.” In the following Q&A, Jill discusses her article and how it addresses a critical public health issue.

Registered professional school nurses provide important access to prevention services, early detection, and mental health services for school-aged children and adolescents. For many children, the school nurse may be the only health care provider they will see all year. School nurses are uniquely positioned at the intersection of student health and education; and they are trained to understand the complexity of the relationship between physical and mental well-being and academic success.

Combating low vaccinations rates has become a difficult problem for public health. Consumers often receive mixed messages and false information about the safety and efficacy of vaccines and the dangers of vaccine preventable diseases. There are, however, legal steps that can be taken to inccrease vaccination rates.