Network Report Thursday, November 4, 2021 
While world leaders gather in Scotland to discuss global climate change and international efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, changes at the local and national level are just as critical. The Network is committed to collaborating on efforts to examine law and policy solutions for mitigating public health harms due to climate change. Attend this webinar to learn about the Network’s Climate Change, Health Equity, and Public Health Law Learning and Practice Collaborative (CC LPC). The CC LPC will engage partners interested in the intersection of climate change and health equity. Learn more and register. 
Public Health Law News Roundup Some of the public health law and policy issues in the headlines in recent weeks include concerns over threats directed at public health officials, legislative initiatives to limit public health authority, efforts to address food insecurity in Massachusetts, vaccine mandates, and the Biden administration’s plans for vaccinating children aged 5 to 11. 
Rent Control and Stabilization Nearly half of renters in the U.S. are “cost burdened,” spending more than 30 percent of their incomes on housing, and about one in four renters spend more than 50 percent of their incomes on housing (“severe” cost burden). Cost burden leaves struggling renters with less to spend on other important needs such as healthcare. This fact sheet examines the use of rent control and rent stabilization policies to stop or slow increases in the price of rent, and whether they, or alternative approaches, are more effective at reducing the number of people considered to be cost burdened.
Legality of Dispensing Expired Naloxone in California Drug overdose is a nationwide epidemic that claimed the lives of over 93,000 people in the U.S. in 2020. Opioids, either alone or in combination with other drugs or alcohol, were responsible for approximately 70 percent of these deaths. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have modified their laws to increase access to naloxone, the standard first-line treatment for opioid overdose. While these laws have been successful in increasing access to this lifesaving medication, few explicitly address the legality of distributing and administering naloxone that is past its expiration date. This fact sheet briefly discusses the efficacy of expired naloxone and examines whether California law permits the distribution and administration of such naloxone.
Announcements 2021 Public Health Law Conference Session Recordings The impacts of the COVID pandemic have been devastating and there are numerous efforts by state legislatures nationwide to significantly reduce public health’s authority to address future disease outbreaks. During this critical time for public health, hundreds in the public health community convened at the 2021 Virtual Public Health Law Conference to discuss and explore. Video recordings of all 40 sessions and the general sessions are now available. Conference attendees can access the recordings through their Whova conference link and non-attendees can purchase access to the conference session recordings here.
The Network’s CC LPC will engage partners interested in the intersection of climate change and health equity to discuss law and policy solutions to mitigate the public health impacts from climate change. Following an informational webinar on November 16, applications will open in winter and will be reviewed early 2022. Sign up to receive updates on the collaborative and the upcoming Climate and Health Equity Summit.
Legal and Policy Assistance to Address Racial Health Equity The Network is pleased to announce this call for applications from organizations seeking legal and policy support to promote racial health equity. We are seeking applicants developing or working on a specific issue that has a racial equity aspect that would benefit from legal and policy assistance. This work can be at any stage of development. The Network can provide technical assistance and help you identify how law and policy can support your racial health equity project or plan. The Network will accept applications on a rolling basis starting in November 2021 through December 10th, 2021.
Worth Sharing Health Law Professors Conference: Call for Proposals Proposals are now being accepted for the Health Law Professors Conference, June 1 - 3, 2022, at the Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Proposals for concurrent session panels, workshop/roundtable discussions and individual presentations will be accepted now through January 14, 2022.
Exploring the Legal Response to Unpredictable Scheduling Burdens for Women in The Workplace Unpredictable scheduling practices subject workers to irregular and inconsistent work hours and provide them with little to no control over their schedules. These practices have been shown to cause negative health outcomes including increased stress, food and housing insecurity, and negative effects on mental and emotional wellbeing. The Center for Public Health Law Research explored laws at the federal, state, and local level that regulate workplace scheduling to better understand how laws that seek to address unpredictable scheduling affect women in the workplace prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
State Health Policy Resources to Support Mental Health An estimated 20.6 percent of adults and 16.5 percent of youth ages 6 to 17 experience a mental health condition each year. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these needs, negatively impacting the mental health of many children and adults. This toolkit from the National Academy for State Health Policy includes recent state health policy resources to support mental health and provides policy options and considerations for states interested in improving access to high-quality mental health care for youth and adults.
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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.
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