50-state survey

50-State Survey: State Laws Addressing Doula Scope of Practice

50-state surveyMaternal and Child HealthReproductive Health and Equity Mechanisms for Advancing Health Equity

October 3, 2024

The lack of private and public health insurance coverage for doula services limits access to doula care principally to those who can afford to pay out-of-pocket. This 50-state survey outlines state laws regulating doula certification, care, and coverage, and sheds light on opportunities and challenges to using doulas to improve maternal health outcomes.

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Legality of Drug Checking Equipment in the United States

50-state surveyHarm Reduction Legal ProjectMechanisms for Advancing Public HealthSubstance Use Prevention and Harm ReductionHarm Reduction Legal Project Resources

August 22, 2024
by Corey Davis

Contaminants including fentanyl and fentanyl analogs are now present in the illicit drug supply throughout the U.S. Because no safe supply of most illicitly used drugs is available, helping people determine what is in the drugs they obtain can be an impactful harm reduction intervention. The easiest and most inexpensive way to accomplish this is often through use of fentanyl test strips and xylazine test strips. This resource outlines the legality of drug checking equipment in 50 states and the District of Columbia.

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50 State Survey: State Laws Addressing Food Donation

50-state surveyFood Safety and SecurityFood SecurityFood and Housing Insecurity MeasuresEnvironment, Climate and Health

August 7, 2024

Access to food is an important social determinant of health, necessary to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. More than 40 million people in the U.S. report being food insecure, many of whom are children. Food donation laws can reduce food waste and improve food security. This resource highlights laws promoting food donation in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

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Characteristics of Statewide Naloxone Distribution Mechanisms

50-state surveyOpioid Misuse and Overdose PreventionHarm Reduction Legal ProjectHarm Reduction Legal Project ResourcesSubstance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction

May 1, 2024
by Amy Lieberman, Ashleigh Dennis and Corey Davis

This fact sheet provides information on Pennsylvania's Act 139, which provides limited immunity to overdose victims and bystanders that seek medical help, and increases accesss to naloxone, a drug that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

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Direct Entry Midwives Across the Nation

50-state surveyReproductive Health and Equity Maternal and Child HealthHealth and Health Care

May 3, 2023
by Dawn Hunter and Phyllis Jeden

Midwives play a critical role in reducing maternal mortality and many states have made an effort to expand the number of midwives by allowing the licensure of “direct entry” midwives who may be credentialed despite not having a formal nursing education. This resource provides a summary of laws in all states and the District of Columbia regulating direct entry, including training requirements for licensure, the state regulatory body, and what medications midwives can administer while practicing.

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Substance Use Disorder (SUD)-Related Emergency Department Mandates

50-state surveyHarm Reduction Legal ProjectHarm Reduction Legal Project ResourcesOpioid Misuse and Overdose Prevention

October 19, 2021
by Corey Davis

We conducted a systematic legal review to determine the prevalence and characteristics of state laws that require some or all hospital emergency departments to create protocols to screen patients for substance use disorder as well as those that require that hospitals take specific actions when providing care to such individuals or individuals who have experienced an overdose.

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