ChangeLab Solutions

In 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention partnered with ChangeLab Solutions to launch the Public Health Law Fellowship. This fellowship provides on-the-job training for careers in public health law or policy to graduate students in MPH, DrPH, MPA, PhD, and JD programs. We’re excited to share a Q&A with four current fellows. Although their backgrounds and interests are varied, their desire to advance health equity is clear. https://lnkd.in/gPTFz3Pw We’d also like to thank the fellows who participated in this Q&A! Brandon V., Hans Khoe, MPH, Maité Garcia, and Natalia B., we appreciate your thoughtful contributions. #HealthEquity #PublicHealthLaw

I’m excited to share the second entry in my Democracy & Governance blog series. In this entry, I focus on the importance of community involvement in state and local elections, as well as meaningful community participation throughout the policymaking process, to ensure that policies reflect the needs and values of the people they affect. #LocalGov #StateGov #Democracy #Voting

In a new op-ed in Lookout Santa Cruz, Sabrina Adler of ChangeLab Solutions partnered with Dr. John Maa of the American Heart Association to inform Santa Cruz voters about the beverage industry’s deceptive advertising campaign against Measure Z, a proposed soda tax that would improve health and raise funds for community projects and services. For more than a decade, the beverage industry — namely Coke, Pepsi, Dr Pepper, Red Bull, and their lobbyists — has been spending millions of dollars to oppose new local-level sugary drink taxes in California. These efforts peaked with the passage of the deceptively-named 2018 Keep Groceries Affordable Act — a statewide ban on new city-level sugary drink taxes in California. After a California appeals court struck down part of that law as violating the California constitution, Measure Z represents the first time voters have a chance to vote on a local sugary drink tax in California since the appeals court's decision. Conclusive evidence demonstrates the positive health effects of sugary drink taxes, and voters should have the right to vote on local taxes, free of interference from industry. Read the op-ed: https://lnkd.in/gNBZtqF9 #LocalGov

Webinar: Judicial Trends - What's Ahead for Racial Equity in Healthcare & Public Health On October 28 at 9am PT, Join the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for a timely discussion about the judicial landscape surrounding race-conscious strategies in medicine and public health. This webinar will cover key court cases involving challenges to racial equity efforts as a way to understand the legal, policy, and narrative issues at play. Sabrina Adler, vice president of law at ChangeLab Solutions, will be among the speakers who will discuss strategies that health leaders can use to respond to these challenges and keep advancing racial equity in health during this critical time. Register here: https://lnkd.in/ghBww7az

Public health laws affect health not only through their substance and design but also through implementation and enforcement. Equitable policymaking requires implementation that respects and works for everyone, with careful attention to the steps of the policy process that follow policy enactment, including enforcement, evaluation, and revision—all of which are necessary to ensure that public health laws have their intended effect. A new article on the Milbank Blog—Equitable Implementation of Public Health Laws Help Ensure that Everyone Benefits—by Maya Hazarika Watts, Liz Tobin-Tyler, JD, MA, Jessica Breslin, and Katie Michel, explores structural deficiencies of traditional enforcement models and offers recommendations for state and local officials committed to equitable enforcement and implementation of public health laws. https://lnkd.in/gck7v5DF #PublicHealthLaws

Many jurisdictions are making changes to the authority of public health departments. In the face of this shifting legal landscape, it is critical to analyze and understand the legal authority of all departments responsible for responding to emerging and zoonotic infectious diseases (EZIDs) and how that authority might affect their response capabilities in the future. Our new resource State & Local Legal Authority to Address Emerging & Zoonotic Infectious Diseases examines the legal authorities that can affect preparedness for and response to EZIDs in different state, tribal, local, and territorial jurisdictions. Implementing the One Health approach to EZID response takes into account how people, animals, plants, and their shared environment are interconnected. https://lnkd.in/gr8jSQpt #PublicHealthAuthority #PublicHealth

This year’s APHA Annual Meeting and Expo in Minneapolis is a timely event—public health professionals and partners from across the country will gather October 27–30 to share ideas and solutions for rebuilding trust in public health and science at a time when public health is underfunded and politically polarized. My colleague Sara Bartel and I are looking forward to our sessions, which span from equitable advocacy to the role of law and the courts in improving public health. See our schedule below; we hope you’ll come by and connect with us!   Advocacy in the Current Political Climate (3112) Monday, 10/28, 10:30am–12pm CT Presenter: Sarah de Guia Whether you are a new or seasoned changemaker, join us to learn more about the difference between lobbying and advocacy. The presentation will address common advocacy and lobbying restrictions for employees in nonprofit organizations and government agencies. We will also explore activities that public health advocates can participate in regardless of their employer or profession.   Your Voice Matters: Building a Healthier Future Through Equitable Advocacy (4103) Tuesday, 10/29, 10:30am–12pm CT Presenter: Sara Bartel Transform your passion for public health into real-world impact, and advance health equity. Join us to discover how advocacy can be a powerful tool for change. Learn practical strategies, hear inspiring stories, and leave equipped with actionable steps you can take to improve our public health system. Whether you're new to advocacy or seeking to expand your influence, this session will empower you to make a difference.   Champion Conversation VIII: The Role of Law and the Courts on Improving the Health of the Public (4220) Tuesday, 10/29, 2:30–4pm CT Moderator: Sarah de Guia Over the past few years, several legal decisions have greatly affected public health. This session will discuss the impact of these judicial decisions and how they are interpreted and implemented in courts and legislatures around the country. Additional topics will include recent federal opinions from the US Supreme Court and key state legal decisions; maternal and reproductive health; the authority to act to protect public health; and affirmative action.   Advancing Health Equity Through Law, Policy, and Community Centered Practices: Understanding the Health Justice Framework (4232) Tuesday, 10/29, 2:45–3pm CT Presenter: Sara Bartel Laws and policies have perpetuated racism, discrimination, and segregation throughout our nation’s history, yet they are essential to undoing harm and are frequently targeted by social justice movements for transformation. Dismantling discriminatory laws and policies is a powerful tool to improve health equity, and public health practitioners have an opportunity to become more deeply integrated into community-driven movements to advance these structural solutions. https://lnkd.in/gcj3qwQG #APHA2024 #PublicHealth

To help state and local health departments understand recent trends related to their authority to take actions that protect community health, ChangeLab Solutions has developed a fact sheet that describes how public health authority can change over time, with examples of recent changes in response to COVID-19 and how such changes might affect infectious disease prevention. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gFjuknhz #PublicHealth #PublicHealthAuthority

The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors' National Disability Inclusion Network, in partnership with the Lakeshore Foundation, is excited to offer the Including People with Disabilities training series for tobacco control and cancer prevention professionals. Next Webinar: ‘’ Partnering for Inclusion” Tuesday, October 22, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. ET This session, will focus on key strategies and skills for working with people with disabilities. What you’ll learn: -Build communication skills to effectively partner with people with disabilities. -Understand the roles of disability-led and disability-serving organizations. -Discover how to connect with these organizations to make your programs more inclusive. -Learn ways to ensure that your tobacco control and cancer prevention efforts include people with disabilities. Register today and don’t miss out on this valuable opportunity! https://ow.ly/ujge50TJ9wN #DisabilityInclusion #TobaccoControl #CancerPrevention #NACDD #PartnerForInclusion Image Description: Dark blue background with the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors' Center For Advancing Healthy Communities logo and the Disability Inclusion Network For Tobacco Control and Cancer Prevention logo, a dark blue circle with a white no smoking symbol, a red apple, a light blue person using a white cane, a yellow person, and a green person using a wheelchair. "Including People With Disabilities: A Training Series For Tobacco Control and Cancer Prevention Professionals Webinar 2: Partnering For Inclusion October 22, 2-3:30 EST." A button with text "Register Today" and a QR code to register. A graphic of a group of people representing people with various disabilities and people without disabilities.

Join us for the webinar Examining the Legal History of Structural Racism and its Impacts on Public Health on Oct 15 at 2:30pm ET. Presenters Shannon Rempe, Heather Wong, Melani Tiongson, and Christine Camilleri from ChangeLab Solutions will examine the legal history of structural racism and explore its impacts on past, present and future public health practice. Developed with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this session aims to (1) equip participants with a shared, foundational understanding of this legal history and (2) increase the collective capacity of the public health workforce to apply the tools of law and policy in their day-to-day work to center racial justice and advance health equity. The session will be followed by a 30-minute Q&A forum to explore questions, share reflections, and brainstorm action steps. Register here: https://lnkd.in/gRR9e9UU