Policy Development and Support

A1. Understand policies which create or lessen health disparities and communicate about related policy and legislative activities.

A2. Collaborate with partners and community to identify gaps in policies and ordinances.

A3. Collaborate with partners and policy makers to enact new, evidence-based policies.

A4. Convene partners and community to identify policy strategies or initiatives which improve health equity.

A5. Organize support for public health statutes, regulations, rules, ordinances, and other policies.

A6. Provide education and technical assistance to help to empower people to share their perspectives on and understand policies which impact health.

B1. Research, analyze, conduct cost analysis, and articulate the impact of public health policies and rules where appropriate; assure community concerns are considered and integrated into the analysis and decision-making process.

B2. Assess existing public health policies, identify the need for new policies, and evaluate the impact of their implementation.

B3. Engage with appropriate governing entities about the purpose, intent, and outcomes of public health laws, policies, and ordinances.

B4. Organize support for public health policies, rules, and regulations and collaborate with the entity having the legal authority to adopt them.

B5. Develop and maintain written organizational policies to support staff in rapidly responding to emerging issues.

C1. Foster and maintain relationships with partners developing policies which affect physical and mental health outside the immediate scope of governmental public health.

C2. Convene or participate in discussions with cross-sector partners to identify strategies or initiatives which help non-governmental partners to consider health impacts in all decision-making (Health in All Policies).

C3. Share data, information, recommendations, and subject matter expertise to bring a health lens (Health in All Policies framework) to local decision-making.

C4. Collaborate with partners to develop long-term strategies and system changes which improve public health.

C5. Monitor the impact of changing state and federal laws on public health to anticipate and articulate health implications.

D1. Participate in state-local collaboration and communication to support and uphold public health regulations.

D2. Develop, implement, and maintain organizational policies aligned with local, state, and federal regulations.

D3. Educate the community and key partners on the meaning, purpose, and benefits of public health laws.

D4. Develop and maintain written training materials on public health laws, policies, and ordinances.

D5. Connect regulated entities to appropriate training, resources, support, and education to reduce risks, increase compliance with, and/or take corrective actions.

D6. Engage with the appropriate governing entity about the public health agency's role and legal authority around environmental health policy.

D7. Conduct, monitor, and report public health enforcement activities, including issuing violations and enforcing laws, rules, policies, and procedures to prevent the spread of disease.

D8. Assure the consistent application of public health laws, policies, and ordinances.

Do you have a resource your agency uses to help you operationalize this work? Please let the MDH Center for Public Health Practice know!