Network Report

Thursday, August 10, 2023

Connect with stakeholders in community health and learn how collaborative efforts that harness the power of law and policy can make real and lasting change. Over 40 sessions will address core issues related to:

• Addressing structural inequities to achieve health equity.
• Access to reproductive health care.
• The use of public health data to improve community health.
• The role of law in facilitating system change.
• Emerging issues.

View the full schedule and register. 

Law & Policy Insights

Turning up the Temperature on Tenants’ Rights: Heat Island Living with No Right to Air Conditioning

Summer is here and so too are the days of record-breaking temperatures. More than a mere nuisance, for people who live in a heat island, the extreme temperatures are dangerous and life-threatening. Despite the serious health implications that lack of air-conditioning can have for vulnerable tenants, no state has enacted a law mandating that landlords provide air-conditioning.

Renters Bill of Rights – Clear and Fair Leases

The Biden Administration’s Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights (Blueprint) was introduced on January 25, 2023 to drive action at the federal, state, and local levels to strengthen tenant protections and housing affordability. One of the principles outlined in the Blueprint is that renters should have clear and fair leases, with defined rental terms, rights, and responsibilities written in simple and clear language.

Community Health Workers with Lived Experience of Incarceration Are Uniquely Suited to Serve Reentering Populations—But Legal Obstacles Impede Hiring Them

People who are incarcerated have higher rates of chronic health conditions, which tend to worsen upon their release, primarily due to the barriers to health care they experience. Despite evidence that employing Community Health Workers with lived experience of incarceration to serve individuals reentering their communities leads to better patient outcomes, significant barriers impede hiring them within health systems.

Resources

Micro-Toolkit: Equity Assessment Framework for Public Health Laws and Policies

Intended for policymakers and others who lead, shape, or influence policy decisions, this toolkit provides a simple framework to guide an equity analysis without the need for in-depth training or additional resources. It can also be used following training to streamline the analysis process.

Promoting Health Equity in Communities Affected by Mass Incarceration—Addressing Legal Obstacles to Hiring Formerly Incarcerated Individuals as Community Health Workers

Individuals returning from incarceration have more healthcare needs than the general population but face numerous barriers to receiving care. Specially trained community members with lived experience of incarceration, serving in the role of community health worker (CHW), are uniquely effective at engaging returning community members in health services. This issue brief provides examples of key legal barriers that may be encountered by individuals with incarceration histories who are seeking employment as CHWs along with ways in which policymakers and health systems can address these barriers.

Webinar

Advancing Equity for all Racial Groups through the Governmental Use of Racial Equity Tools
Thursday, August 17, 1:00-2:30 ET

One key strategy for advancing equal opportunity and addressing inequities in health outcomes is to intentionally evaluate laws and policies to understand their impact on different racial groups. In this webinar, participants will learn how equity tools can be used to assess the development, implementation, and evaluation of laws, policies, programs, and budgets to advance equal opportunity and address inequities.

Worth Sharing

Policy Surveillance Institute 2023
October 5-6, 2023, Philadelphia 

The Center for Public Health Law Research’s Policy Surveillance Institute is intended for individuals interested in studying policies and law once they are enacted and exploring variation in policy across jurisdictions over time. Participants will learn each step in the policy surveillance process with live training from experts from the Center for Public Health Law Research on policy surveillance software and through collaborative exercises.

Transforming Public Health for A Resilient Future: Equipping and Empowering our Workforce to Advance Health Equity
September 27-29, Indianapolis, Indiana

This conference, hosted by the National Network for Public Health Institutes, will showcase the best and emerging practices and innovations related to public health infrastructure, the public health workforce, complex public health challenges, and topics related to performance management and quality improvement.

Job Opportunities

Communications Manager

The Network seeks a Communications Manager to assist in raising our national profile, engage with our key constituents, expand our reach, and improve our support to communities around the country. The ideal candidate will be social media savvy with excellent verbal and written communication skills and be able to thrive in a fast-paced environment. This position will be responsible for implementing and managing communications campaigns and developing written and creative content. This position is a hybrid/remote position and can be based in Minneapolis, Minnesota or in the D.C. metro area. View the full position description and apply.

Deputy Director – Policy, Equity, and Community Impact

The Network is seeking a Deputy Director of Policy, Equity, and Community Impact to support our efforts to strengthen the connections between public health agencies and communities, with the goal of building engagement and capacity in law and policy to advance public health. The Deputy Director will lead strategy development, manage programs, provide technical assistance on specific issues, conduct training, develop tools and education materials, and facilitate opportunities for networking and peer assistance. This is a hybrid or remote position. View the full position description and apply..

Program Coordinator, National Office
The Network is seeking a Program Coordinator to assist in tracking and reporting on Network services, activities and products, and in managing the Network’s database, along with special projects, including assisting in the planning of Network events and convenings. View the full description and apply. 

Tell Us What You’re Working On.

We’re Ready to Help.

Our law and policy experts can help you identify the key considerations central to your unique challenges and provide law and policy pathways you can leverage to make a difference.

Request Assistance →

Thank you!

Your interest in the work of the Network is important. Together, we can advance law as a tool to improve public health. Please forward the Network Report and encourage others to join the Network!

The Network for Public Health Law provides information and technical assistance on issues related to public health. The legal information and assistance provided in this document does not constitute legal advice or legal representation. For legal advice, readers should consult a lawyer in their state.

Our Contact Information

The Network for Public Health Law

You are receiving this email because you signed up to receive Network communications, or you attended a Network event or webinar. If you no longer wish to receive this email you can manage your preferences below.