Network Report Thursday, June 16, 2022 
Join us for a Summit on the quickly changing landscape of law and policy in both health equity and cannabis, including the public health response to growing disparities that were exacerbated by the pandemic, and the broad spectrum of public health, policy, and equity issues that have surfaced as more states contemplate cannabis legalization. Learn more and register. 
Information Blocking Rule: A New Tool to Facilitate Public Health Data Collection The COVID pandemic has brought into sharp focus the crucial nature of data in helping drive decision-making, directing public health interventions, focusing limited resources, and allocating precious grant dollars. The new federal Information Blocking Rule may provide local and state health departments with an additional tool to enhance collection of key public health data and overcome some of the barriers to reporting of data by health care providers and others. 
Housing Availability and Affordability Toolkit Nearly half of U.S. households cannot afford their rent, home prices have been skyrocketing in recent years, and government-subsidized programs for affordable housing are unable to meet current needs. This toolkit explores program and policy approaches for all levels of government, public health advocates, non-profit organizations, and others, to improve housing affordability and availability and thereby improve the health and wellbeing of families in their communities and across the country.
Legal and Policy Approaches To Preventing Housing Instability Toolkit Housing instability is a public health crisis that causes and exacerbates health problems, erodes communities, and drives health inequities. This toolkit includes resources that explore state- and local-level legal and policy approaches to reducing tenant displacement and eviction; and methods for providing supports that prevent housing instability and homelessness.
Webinar 
Efforts to Rollback Public Health Authority: Tracking the Legislation and Assessing the Impact Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, legislators in every state have introduced bills that would limit public health authority to respond to the current pandemic or future public health emergencies. Many of these bills have been enacted into law. Attend this webinar to learn about collaborative efforts to track state bills that address public health authority, including those that would limit the authority of a governor, state health official, or local health official; shift authority from state or local executives; address pandemic-related public health measures such as mask mandates, vaccine mandates, or testing requirements; or preempt localities from imposing public health measures.
2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. EST | June 30, 2022 After thousands of Flint, Michigan, residents were exposed to lead during the 2014-15 Flint water crisis, the community came together to create the Flint Registry to monitor community health, connect people to services, and promote an understanding of how the water crisis affected the community. Establishing the Flint Registry required a team of community members and experts and involved myriad operational and legal issues. This webinar will examine the process involved in establishing and operating a community-based non-governmental environmental exposure registry. The presenters will share a legal handbook to guide other communities wishing to establish non-governmental public health registries.
Conferences and Summits 2022 Public Health Law Summit: Climate Change and Health Equity October 12 - 14, 2022 | Minneapolis, MN In the midst of extreme weather and climate-related threats, there is an opportunity to reform inequitable systems and laws that have left frontline communities, including many communities of color, more susceptible to health threats due to climate change. The 2022 Climate Change and Health Equity Summit will bring together health departments, health care providers, and community-based organizations and others who are working with communities to achieve health equity and develop climate solutions that are centered in a health equity framework. Attend this Summit to engage with others to build a shared understanding of how public health law can and should make our communities healthier and help mitigate climate change. Learn more and register.
NACCHO360 Conference The 2022 NACCHO Annual Meeting, “Looking to the Future: Reshaping the Public Health System,” will be held virtually and in-person and will explore how the local public health workforce and its stakeholders can move forward in the midst of an ongoing crisis while implementing traditional and innovative approaches to restructure a system built to protect the health of communities nationwide. Learn more and register.
The Public Health Law Practitioners Convening Law and policy practitioners are integral to state, tribal, local, and territorial public health practice. They develop and interpret public health authorities, enforce regulations, and leverage the law to positively impact community health. To support the critical role of public health law and policy professionals, the CDC and NACCHO have organized this convening for practitioners interested in developing professional relationships, gaining knowledge, and discovering innovative practices from their peers while considering the incorporation of equity and cross-sector partnership in their work. Learn more and register.
Worth Sharing Sentinel Surveillance of Emerging Drug Decriminalization Legislation This dataset, published by the Center for Public Health Law Research, tracks sweeping legislation that broadly decriminalizes drug possession, providing a high-level overview of legislation that decriminalizes personal possession of most or all controlled substances. The dataset covers all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia and includes enacted state laws and pending state bills as of March 15, 2022. It also captures state bills that were introduced on or after January 1, 2021 but have since failed. Learn more
An Expedited Regulatory Strategy for Expanding Access to Methadone Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder Corey Davis, director of the Harm Reduction Legal Project, co-authored this article published in Health Affairs, examining how significant and inequitable barriers currently impede access to methadone, an effective treatment for Opioid Use Disorder that dramatically reduces overdose deaths and other opioid-related harms. In response to the Biden administration’s acknowledgement of the need to act now to address barriers to methadone treatment access, the authors identify specific next steps that federal agencies have the authority to implement without additional legislation.
Job Opportunities Marketing and Communications Specialist The Network seeks an individual who is passionate about health and social justice to join us as our Marketing and Communications Specialist to help us successfully raise our national profile, engage with our key constituents, expand our reach, and improve our support to communities. The Marketing and Communications Specialist must be a tech savvy self-starter with excellent verbal and written communication skills, and will be responsible for developing and implementing communication, marketing, and outreach campaigns and programs. This position is based at the Network’s National Office in Edina, Minnesota, and reports to the Associate Director, Marketing Communications. View the full description and apply here.
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