Welcome to PHLP

Public Health Law & Policy (PHLP) creates groundbreaking public health solutions that last.

A handful of states and communities have led the nation in showing how legal and policy strategies can profoundly improve public health – whether it's about protecting people from secondhand smoke, making junk food less accessible to children, or opening school yards and gyms to the community after hours.

PHLP partners with government staff, advocates, and other community leaders to provide practical solutions to a wide range of public health problems. Our team of staff attorneys, city planners, and policy analysts research and answer tough policy questions, clarify and demystify the law, develop ready-to-go model policies, and "train the trainers" to equip community leaders with the confidence and capacity to put our tools to work.

Together, we transform communities to ensure the healthy choice becomes the easy choice. 

On July 1, PHLP launched as an independent not-for-profit organization!

 

Program News

Local Food and the Law: Help for Advocates and Policymakers

Aug 25, 2010

Concerns about buying food from afar are prompting some states and cities to consider laws promoting the purchase of locally grown food. An article coauthored by PHLP staff, published in the inaugural issue of the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development (JAFSCD): Laws to Require Purchase of Locally Grown Food and Constitutional Limits on State and Local Government: Suggestions for Policymakers and Advocates, offers guidelines for drafting policies that favor locally grown food without violating constitutional restrictions on state and local laws that discriminate against products derived out-of-state. The inaugural issue of JAFSCD is FREE to non-subscribers through October 1.

New Smokefree Housing Laws Adopted in California Cities

Aug 31, 2010

Two California cities passed laws this summer to create smokefree multi-unit housing using a model ordinance developed by Public Health Law & Policy (PHLP). Robin Salsburg, a staff attorney at PHLP, worked closely with city staff in South Pasadena and Sebastopol (along with the American Lung Association and Smokefree Air For Everyone) to tailor the ordinance to each city.

Upcoming Webinar: Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes and Fees

Generating Revenue for Childhood Obesity Prevention through Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes and Fees

Aug 18, 2010
 
Free Webinar: September 21, 1:00 - 2:30 pm ET / 10:00 - 11:30 am PT  Register Now
Today almost one-third of children in the United States are obese or overweight. Many studies have demonstrated a link between obesity and the consumption of sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB).

PHLP Releases an Action Plan for Public Health

Report details initial recommendations for involving public health in climate change policy

Mar 20, 2009

PHLP has released an Action Plan that represents an important initial assessment of public health’s abilities and limitations to fully engage in climate change work as well as a preliminary set of recommended actions. It is a synthesis of the priorities and strategies developed during a one-day multi-disciplinary gathering where more than 150 participants exchanged ideas on how to better engage public health networks and agencies in climate change work.