In September, I marked my third anniversary at ChangeLab Solutions. As I look back on my three years as CEO, I am immensely proud of the work of our ChangeLab team, which supports dozens of cities and counties nationwide in implementing policies that make a difference in health equity.
Our country faces a continuing escalation of pressing domestic issues — from systemic racism to the suppression of voting rights to the rollback of reproductive rights — all of which undermine public health and our collective sense of well-being. Through these challenges, I am honored to stand with our board, staff, funders, and partners, who continue to show strength and resilience as we work to protect public health amid a roiling policy landscape.
I invite you to read my blog post reflecting on health equity and the pace of change.
Read on to see current and upcoming projects from ChangeLab Solutions staff on legal epidemiology, Vision Zero, and other aspects of health equity.
In solidarity,
Sarah de Guia, JD
CEO, ChangeLab Solutions
Using Legal Epidemiology to Advance Health Equity
Legal epidemiology is the study of law as a factor in the cause, distribution, and prevention of disease and injury across populations; it’s about learning how laws and policies affect health. ChangeLab Solutions currently partners with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Public Health Law Program to deliver legal epidemiology trainings to 10-month learning cohorts of staff from health departments and organizations. Our new story highlights three health department teams who recently participated in one of our learning cohorts.
Fact Sheets on Public Health Authority
Recent proposals by some courts and legislatures aim to limit the authority that health officials need to do their job — a short-term tactic with damaging long-term implications. To help localities better protect the health of all their residents, ChangeLab Solutions and Act for Public Health have developed a set of resources describing how public health authority works, the types of restrictions that are being enacted, and the implications for public health and health equity.
Vision Zero
Is your community ready to implement Vision Zero? Vision Zero is a strategy to help eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries while increasing safe, equitable mobility for all. ChangeLab Solutions has released a new model policy and an implementation toolkit to support local government staff and community advocates in achieving their Vision Zero goals. The process is defined by meaningful, ongoing community engagement and data-driven decision making, to ensure equity, transparency, and accountability in the policymaking process.
Join us at APHA!
The American Public Health Association’s Annual Meeting and Expo will take place November 6–9, and we’ll be there! Our staff will speak on issues ranging from protecting public health authority to advocacy in the current political climate. Stay tuned for an announcement with details about our presentations.
10/19/22