The coronavirus (COVID-19) is an extremely serious threat to public health and safety. Responding adequately and quickly to this pandemic can help save the lives of millions of Americans. ChangeLab Solutions has gathered resources to help public health practitioners, lawyers, and the general public prepare for this emergency.
COVID-19 will test us in many ways we can’t predict. If we are not able to flatten the incidence curve, public health scientists have predicted that millions of people in the United States could die. Our society’s full participation and cooperation are required to reduce the number of lives lost.
The resources we have selected are trustworthy sources of information about COVID-19 in the United States — and we will update this list as we receive new ones. You can use these resources to help coordinate your community’s response to the ongoing pandemic. If you have legal or policy questions about the public health response to COVID-19, please contact us so that we can be of assistance.
Timely Coronavirus Resources
- ChangeLab Solutions, the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, and Prevention Institute, How California’s Community-Based Organizations Filled the Gaps for Underserved Communities (report)
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Public Health on Call: Evidence and Experts to Help You Understand Today’s COVID-19 News — and What It Means for Tomorrow (podcast) (updated daily)
- World Health Organization, Rolling Updates on Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) (updated regularly)
- Johns Hopkins University & Medicine, Coronavirus Resource Center (updated daily)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 Support for States, Tribes, Localities, and Territories (updated regularly)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Testing for COVID-19 (updated regularly)
- Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), Coronavirus Resources & COVID-19 State and Territorial Emergency Declarations (updated regularly)
- National Association of Counties (NACo), Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19): County Response Efforts & Priorities (updated daily)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Coronavirus Information (updated daily)
- American Public Health Association (APHA), Preventing Coronavirus (includes non-English language materials on preventing the spread of COVID-19) (updated regularly)
- National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), Directory of Local Health Departments (updated regularly)
- Washington Post, Why Outbreaks Like Coronavirus Spread Exponentially, and How to ”Flatten the Curve" (March 14, 2020)
Legal Preparedness Resources
- Network for Public Health Law, primer on Emergency Legal Preparedness: COVID-19 (March 17, 2020)
- Network for Public Health Law, webinar on 2019 Novel Coronavirus: Legal Preparedness and Public Health Response Efforts (February 6, 2020)
- Local Solutions Support Center, How Do You Know If Your Local Government Has the Legal Authority to Adopt a Policy in Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic? (March 18, 2020)
- ChangeLab Solutions, Assessing Legal Authority for Local Health Officers’ & Local Governments’ Responses to COVID-19 in California (May 15, 2020)
- ChangeLab Solutions, Addressing Preemption to Empower Local Governments (June 10, 2020)
- Network for Public Health Law, Legal Emergency Preparedness Resources (January 14, 2020)
- University of Pittsburgh, Tribal Legal Preparedness Project: Preparing for a Public Health Emergency (June 25, 2019)
Resources on Equity
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Ten Equity Implications of the Coronavirus COVID-19 Outbreak in the United States: The Imperative for Civil Rights Advocacy, Monitoring, and Enforcement (not dated)
- National Collaborative for Health Equity, COVID-19 Response and Updates (includes a resource list; updated regularly)
- Racial Equity Tools, COVID-19 – Racial Equity & Social Justice Resources (updated regularly)
- National Women's Law Center, Resource Collection: A Recovery That Works for All of Us (March 27, 2020)
- Living Cities, COVID-19 Resources (May 18, 2020)
- Center for Community Investment, COVID-19, Structural Racism, and Community Investment: Notes Toward a Just Recovery (July 2020)
- Big Cities Health Coalition and Human Impact Partners, Ensuring Equity in COVID-19 Planning, Response, and Recovery Decision Making: An Equity Lens Tool for Health Departments (December 2020)
General Resources
-
Public Health Law Watch, COVID-19 Policy Playbook: Legal Recommendations for a Safer, More Equitable Future (March 2021)
- Public Health Law Watch, COVID-19 Law and Policy Briefings (#COVIDLawBriefing on Twitter; ongoing)
- ChangeLab Solutions' Public Health Law Academy, training on Public Health Threats & the U.S. Constitution (May 2016)
- Johns Hopkins University, What Is Social Distancing and How Can It Slow the Spread of COVID-19? (March 13, 2020)
- ChangeLab Solutions, Social Distancing: What Decisionmakers Need to Know (March 27, 2020)
- ChangeLab Solutions, Isolation & Quarantine: What Public Health Leaders Need to Know About the Legal Issues (May 6, 2020)
- National League of Cities, Coronavirus Response Resources for Local Leaders (March 16, 2020)
- City Health Dashboard, COVID-19 Data and Resources for City Leaders (updated regularly)
- National Association of City Transportation Officials, Rapid Response: Tools for Cities (updated regularly)
- National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources for State Legislators and Staff (updated regularly)
- National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), State Quarantine and Isolation Statutes (February 27, 2020)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Public Health Emergency Preparedness Clearinghouse (March 22, 2019)
- American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Pandemic Preparedness Materials (not dated)
- The Kresge Foundation, Live Updates: COVID-19 Resources from Our Partners and Community (updated regularly)
- ChangeLab Solutions, Health in All Policies for a Stronger Recovery (May 21, 2020)
Funding Public Health
- Washington Post, Health Agencies’ Funding Cuts Challenge Coronavirus Response (March 8, 2020)
- Rivka Liss-Levinson, in Route Fifty, We Shouldn't Wait for a Crisis Like Coronavirus to Fund Public Health (February 11, 2020)
Addressing the Needs of Underresourced Communities
Resources on Economic Support
- 211.org, COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Pandemic (not dated)
- California Department of Social Services, Guide to Disaster Assistance Services for Californians (2017)
- Western Center on Law & Poverty, Coronavirus – Information, Response, and Considerations (updated daily)
- National Consumer Law Center (NCLC), COVID-19 & Consumer Protections (updated regularly)
Resources on Employment
- Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Coronavirus Information and FAQs (February 27, 2020)
- National Employment Law Project (NELP), Coronavirus and Unemployment Insurance: Options for Policymakers to Mitigate Job Loss (March 6, 2020)
- National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), Paid Sick Leave (March 5, 2020)
- A Better Balance, Paid Sick Time (March 9, 2020)
- Brian Castrucci & John Auerbach, in Health Affairs, Want to Make the Nation More Prepared to Fight Contagious Diseases? Expand Paid Sick Leave Policy. (March 17, 2020)
- ChangeLab Solutions, Paid Leave Protections (May 4, 2020)
- ChangeLab Solutions, Protections for Food Workers (April 20, 2020)
Resources on Food Insecurity
- Feeding America, How Is the Feeding America Network of Food Banks Responding to the Coronavirus? (March 17, 2020)
- Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), The FRAC Advocate’s Guide to the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) (July 2018)
- Healthy Food Policy Project, Municipal COVID-19 Food Access Policies (updated regularly)
- No Kid Hungry's Center for Best Practices, COVID-19: Resources to help program sponsors, community partners, and advocates provide meals to children during school closures related to the coronavirus (updated regularly)
Resources for Renters and the Unhoused (Housing)
- New York Academy of Medicine, What Can I Do? Housing (updated regularly)
- National Low Income Housing Coalition, COVID-19: Coronavirus and Housing/Homelessness (updated regularly)
- United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, Planning and Preparing for COVID-19 (Coronavirus) (March 12, 2020)
- ChangeLab Solutions, Housing Assistance on COVID-19 Issues (June 23, 2020)
- ChangeLab Solutions, Tenant Protections, Evictions & Utilities (April 29, 2020)
- Curbed, Cities Suspend Evictions as Coronavirus Spreads (updated March 20, 2020)
Resources on Equitable Enforcement
- ChangeLab Solutions, Equitable Enforcement of Public Health Laws (April 23, 2020)
- ChangeLab Solutions, Promote Safety by Repealing 911 Nuisance Laws (May 13, 2020)
- National Governors Association, Equity in Encouraging and Enforcing Mitigation Measures (first webinar in a series on equity and policy preparedness during public health emergencies) (September 17, 2020)
Resources on Education and Child Care Settings
- Child Care Aware of America, The Latest Coronavirus News & Resources for Child Care Professionals, Families and Policymakers (updated regularly)
- Education Week, Coronavirus and School Closures: What Are the Legal, Logistical Issues? (February 28, 2020)
- Education Week, Map: Coronavirus and School Closures (updated daily)
- Child Trends, As COVID-19 Spreads, Most States Have Laws That Address How Schools Should Respond to Pandemics (March 11, 2020)
- Child Care Aware of America, Review of State Policies: COVID-19 Vaccination Distribution Plans (January 4, 2021
Resources on Mental Health
- Suicide Prevention Resource Center, Resources to Support Mental Health and Coping with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) (updated regularly)
Resources on Violence Prevention
- Futures Without Violence, Information on COVID-19 for Survivors, Communities, and DV/SA Programs (updated regularly)
- National Network to End Domestic Violence, Resources on the Response to Coronavirus (COVID-19) (March 12, 2020)
Resources for Immigrants and Their Advocates
- National Immigration Law Center, Resources | COVID-19 Crisis and Consequences
- Immigrants Rising, Tangible Support for Undocumented Communities During COVID-19 (updated regularly)
- Legal Aid at Work, A List of Relief Funds for Undocumented Workers in California (updated regularly)
- National Immigration Law Center, Health Care Providers: Preserve Access to Care and Protect Your Patients from Border Patrol and ICE Interference (August 2020)
Resources for Incarcerated People
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Decarcerating Correctional Facilities During COVID-19: Advancing Health, Equity, and Safety (October 20, 2020)
Resources for Older People and People with Disabilities
- Administration for Community Living, COVID-19: What Do Older Adults and People with Disabilities Need to Know? (updated regularly)
Resources on Public Transportation
- American Public Transportation Association, Public Transit Response to Coronavirus or COVID-19 (not dated)
- America Walks, Managing the Uncertainty of the COVID-19 Outbreak Through Walking (not dated)
Resources on Digital Inclusion
- National Digital Inclusion Alliance, COVID-19 Resources (updated regularly)
Updated 2/3/2021
