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Courts Consider Whether State Vaccination Laws Must Include a Religious Exemption

Blog,

During the 2022 state legislative sessions, at least 20 states considered bills that would require a religious exemption to a vaccine requirement. As state legislatures continue considering vaccine protocols for COVID-19, HPV, and other ...

Isolation, Quarantine, and Public Health Authority Beyond the Pandemic

Blog,
Iowa,
Ohio,

Under the Tenth Amendment, states have the power to protect the health and welfare of their populations, including the authority to implement isolation and quarantine orders to limit the spread of disease. This post is an examination of ...

Preparedness Policy Highlights for Trending Public Health Threats

Blog,
Iowa,

While communities transition from emergency response to long-term monitoring and recovery, the federal government and states are taking legislative action to improve emergency preparedness capabilities.

Getting Creative to Keep Americans Fed During COVID-19

Blog,
Guam,

The COVID-19 pandemic has exasperated challenges around access to nutritious and affordable foods. In response, the federal government has taken action to increase funding and access to programs to strengthen food security.

Social Distancing: How States are Handling Business Closures

Blog,

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, states are using their emergency powers to authorize a variety of social distancing measures. This post is a summary of executive orders that have led to the closure of many businesses and nonprofit ...

State Public Health Authorities Face COVID-19 Legal Challenges

Blog,

As COVID-19 spread across the country, governors and health officials invoked their emergency powers to order physical distancing measures designed to reduce social interactions and slow the spread of the disease. Several of these ...

Getting Ahead of the COVID-19 Vaccine

Blog,

Scientists are working quickly to develop a safe and effective vaccine to provide immunity to COVID-19. Once a vaccine is approved, it will likely be imperative for states to authorize as many health care professionals to administer it, ...

How States are Bolstering a Contact Tracing Workforce

Blog,

To help break the chain of COVID-19 infections, state and local health departments are conducting disease investigations and contact tracing, core tools of public health practice used to combat the spread of communicable diseases. This ...

Public Health and the Courtroom: How Health Officials Become Involved With Lawsuits

Blog,
Ohio,
Utah,

As leaders of their state agency, state and territorial health officials can be named parties in lawsuits alleging that an action taken by a public health agency was unlawful. These officials are typically sued in their “official ...

ASTHO Policy Watch 2022: Health Equity and Rural Health

Blog,

ASTHO has identified health equity and rural health as issues that policymakers across the country will consider in 2022.

Recent Federal Actions Spur Changes to Children's Blood Lead Level Screenings and Response

Blog,
Iowa,

The COVID-19 pandemic introduced new challenges for screening children’s blood lead levels, as screening rates across the country dropped during stay-at-home orders. A substantive federal policy change and provisions in the Infrastructure ...

The Legal Framework for Administering COVID-19 Vaccines

Blog,
Iowa,

Anticipating a rapid deployment of COVID-19 vaccines as they are authorized, the CDC developed COVID-19 Vaccination Program Operational Guidance in collaboration with state and local jurisdictions to outline how each jurisdiction will make ...

ASTHO Policy Watch 2022: Maintaining Public Health’s Legal Authority to Prevent Disease Spread

Blog,
Iowa,
Ohio,

States and territories have broad powers to protect public health and safety, including powers to prevent and control the spread of communicable disease typically exercised by state and territorial health departments. This authority is an ...

Health Policy Tackles Joint Challenges of Pandemic and Natural Disaster Preparedness

Blog,

Each September marks National Preparedness Month. This year, public health emergency preparedness professionals look back on 20 years since the 9/11 attacks—the event that effectively launched the preparedness field—while actively ...

Pharmacies Are Critical to Pandemic Planning, Not Just Response

Blog,

Pharmacies have long been instrumental partners in providing lifesaving vaccines nationwide. As state and territorial health officials evaluate their COVID-19 response, planners must include input from the pharmacy community when ...

COVID-19 and Beyond: Improving Youth Mental Health Outcomes and Disparities

Blog,
Utah,

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted both the physical and mental health well-being of youth. Disruptions in both their home and school life have put youth at risk for poor mental health outcomes that include increased anxiety, depression, ...

Shifting Legal Landscape of Public Health and Places of Worship

Blog,
Ohio,
Utah,

Reconciling the tension between public health and civil liberties is one of the most significant challenges of public health law and ethics. The Supreme Court of the United States historically upheld state authority to enact and enforce ...

Stronger Together: Six Strategies to Enhance Your State’s Suicide Prevention Infrastructure

Blog,
Ohio,
Utah,

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and the importance of continued mental health promotion and suicide prevention efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. As we address the physical effects of COVID-19 through social distancing, mask ...