Public Health Law and Policy
Historically, public health laws and regulations have helped decrease and prevent the spread of communicable diseases, regulate motor vehicle safety, improve sanitation and hygiene, improve air quality, and much more. One of NACCHO's goals is to increase the public health community's understanding of law and how it may be used to support health departments in better serving their communities and increasing health equity.
NACCHO's efforts in this space include highlighting the importance of working closely with public health attorneys, building the capacity and capabilities of local public health in utilizing the law to improve programs and policies, supporting the use of a health in all policies (HiAP) approach in communities, and increasing community understanding of policy and development.
Registration is Full - Join the Waitlist!
Due to overwhelming response, the 2024 Public Health Law Convening has reached maximum capacity and registration is now closed. If you would like to be added to the waitlist to attend in-person, complete this form. The waitlist is not a guarantee of registration.
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Health in all Policies (HiAP) describes a framework that attempts to ensure that policy decisions have neutral or beneficial impacts on determinants of health. Please use the link to access our resources supporting the utilization of HiAP in local policy work.
This resource is intended to assist public health professionals in improving their department's administrative preparedness capabilities and ensure that their department's administrative operations support emergency response activities by encouraging collaborative preparatory work among preparedness, legal, human resource, procurement, and other staff.
Through the support from the Department of Justice, NACCHO collaborated with Allegheny County, PA to develop an emergency operations plan template to help juvenile detention centers respond to various public health threats, including illicit drug overdoses, infectious disease outbreaks, and severe weather events. NACCHO and Allegheny County collaborated with the Shuman Juvenile Detention Center and other local agencies and organizations to develop, improve, and implement the plan and strengthen facility preparedness.
Below are resources that were developed through this partnership:
This report, developed in partnership with the Network for Public Health Law, provides a brief history of public health authority and an overview of the forces seeking to limit it.
NACCHO works with the following organizations in the pursuit of building the capacity for public health law at the local level:
The following is a list of partner developed resources:
We would love to hear your health department's story! Please read more about the value of stories and tips for storytelling. Please complete the online form or download this document and email it to [email protected] to add your story to the website.
Host site applications from state, tribal, local, or territorial health departments, CDC, or other public health law organizations that support work in the public health law and policy fields are being accepted now for the Public Health Law Fellowship. This paid opportunity will provide graduate students (e.g., MPH, MPA, PhD), law students, and recent graduates of these programs with on-the-job training to prepare them for careers in public health law and policy. The Public Health Law Fellowship was created to strengthen the public health law workforce by increasing diversity within the field and preparing the next generation of public health law professionals to respond to critical issues.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and ChangeLab Solutions Public Health Law Fellowship program will host an Application Open Lab for prospective fellows on Friday, September 8 at 1:30 pm (EDT) via Zoom.
During the open lab, applicants will have the opportunity to drop-in at their convenience for a live Q&A, meet fellowship program staff, ask questions about eligibility, and learn about the characteristics of a quality fellowship application. Open to the public. Zoom registration required: https://lnkd.in/gM8XMfEu
This open lab is intended for prospective fellows, such as current graduate students or recent alumni of a graduate program (within the past four years) who are interested in careers in public health law or policy. Learn more about program eligibility: https://lnkd.in/gbdbptuU
CDC's Public Health Law Program and ChangeLab Solutions are accepting applications for the Public Health Law Fellowship. Selected fellows will be matched with host sites at state, tribal, local, or territorial health departments, supporting organizations, or CDC. The host sites offer fellows on-the-job training to prepare them for careers in public health law or policy. The fellowship aims to strengthen the workforce by increasing diversity within the field and preparing the next generation of professionals to respond to critical public health law issues. It is designed for current graduate students or law students, as well as recent graduates of these programs (within the past four years), interested in careers in public health law or policy.
Learn more: https://www.cdc.gov/phlp/externship.html#fellowships
Questions: [email protected]
Spring 2024 Application: https://www.zintellect.com/Opportunity/Details/CDC-CSTLTS-2023-0193
To learn more about public health law, please reach out to [email protected].