Breaking down complex legal and policy issues into plain language, our how-to guides, fact sheets, checklists, glossaries, and other accessible resources empower professionals in any field to engage fully in the policy development process.

• PHLP developed a toolkit for public health professionals and urban planners in California on how to work together to create healthy, sustainable communities, which has spurred a sea change in land use planning practice statewide. Dozens of communities have begun incorporating specific health policy goals and objectives–including access to healthy food and opportunities for physical activity–into their land use plans for the first time. The toolkit includes model general/comprehensive plan language and provides information on building relationships, assessing existing conditions, and creating and ultimately implementing health-promoting policies.
• Our Model Tobacco Retailer Licensing Ordinance allows communities to create local licensing systems for greater control over the tobacco retailers in their communities.  Adopting the ordinance is just a first step, however, because the implementation and administration of a licensing program is very complex. PHLP has published a variety of resources to make this process easier, including “fill in the blank” spreadsheets to help communities determine an appropriate licensing fee; a series of “Frequently Asked Questions” on licensing; and a set of “case studies” on enforcement of licensing systems. Through these products, PHLP strives to ensure that every community that adopts a tobacco retailer licensing ordinance has the means or ability to implement, administer, and enforce the ordinance.
• We have developed numerous fact sheets on making smokefree housing policies work including using disability laws to protect tenants from drifting secondhand smoke, creating smokefree condominiums, and describing legal options for tenants suffering from drifting secondhand smoke. Many of these tools are also available in Spanish. Through these tools and our model ordinance, PHLP strives to give both tenants and landlords a better understanding of the full range of legal and policy options available.

Return to the main page to learn more about how we can help with each stage in the policymaking process.