I am pleased to share a recent opportunity I had to speak about the important role of public health law on the CDC Foundation’s Contagious Conversations podcast with Claire Stinson. I reflected on my personal journey in health equity policy and described the evolution of ChangeLab Solutions’ central strategy of undoing the fundamental drivers of health inequity. We examined how law and policy can help create more equitable communities and touched on the challenges and opportunities in community engagement. I hope you’ll enjoy the conversation.
Read on to explore the breadth of our current work — from resources on equitable messaging for tobacco prevention to an opinion piece on litigation as a tool to confront state laws that preempt equity-promoting local policies. Also, we are thrilled to share the news of a historic donation that will support our varied work, increase our sustainability, and strengthen our efforts to undo structural discrimination nationwide through the tools of law and policy!
Please feel free to connect with me if you have questions or inquiries.
With gratitude,
Sarah de Guia, JD
CEO, ChangeLab Solutions
Historic Donation
ChangeLab Solutions has received a one-time donation of $8 million from author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott — the largest in our 25-year history! The influx of resources will bolster our day-to-day work of addressing structural discrimination and racism, particularly in four key areas: enacting equitable enforcement strategies, expanding housing justice, supporting public health authority, and identifying equitable policy solutions for rural communities.
Op-Ed on Preemption
In an opinion piece for Governing.com, ChangeLab Solutions vice president of law Sabrina Adler and board member Meryl Chertoff argue that health advocates across the United States should consider using litigation to confront preemptive state laws that threaten health- and equity-promoting strategies in local communities.
Clinton County Food Action Plan
Along with the Clinton County Health Department in New York, we are excited to announce the launch of the Clinton County Food Action Plan, which will help align food system stakeholders with a common set of principles and goals. Local government agencies, hospitals, community-based organizations, businesses, and resident groups will use the plan to coordinate and advance their work.
New Resources for Tobacco Prevention
Created in partnership with Frameworks Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, our resources on evidence-informed messaging will help tobacco prevention professionals and their partners frame communications on tobacco-related health disparities in ways that minimize biases and foster support for effective policy solutions.
Training on Administrative Law
Designed for individuals who work in or with health departments, Part 2 of our latest free training series from the Public Health Law Academy identifies steps that health departments can take to promote health equity when carrying out regulatory activities. This on-demand training, created by ChangeLab Solutions and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, outlines best practices for creating regulations and writing policies and guidance documents.
Act for Public Health
Act for Public Health is a new working group of the Public Health Law Partnership that provides law and policy research, analysis, and expertise in support of health departments’ authority to take action to keep people safe. We are working to preserve public health authority and infrastructure wherever challenges arise. Join the Act for Public Health email list to receive updates on new and upcoming litigation, legislation, events, and resources, or contact us for technical assistance on issues related to public health authority.
