Funding for Policy as a Public Health Interventions for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STDs, and Tuberculosis

Background

Science-based policymaking can improve health outcomes, increase efficiency, reduce costs, identify and eliminate ineffective programs and policies, and strengthen governmental accountability. By leveraging legal epidemiological methods, complex laws and policies can be distilled into data that can be used to evaluate their impact on a population's health and determine the economic impact of policy approaches. This evidence can then be translated into actionable strategies and resources for leaders who make decisions in public health to advance impactful policy that saves lives, saves money, reduces health disparities, and protects all people.

Laws and policies to reduce morbidity and mortality from HIV, viral hepatitis, STDs, TB, and other health conditions are complex and applicable at every level of society; many of these laws and policies can be evaluated through the application of legal epidemiology. Legal epidemiology is the study of law as a factor in disease causation, distribution, and prevention. Legal epidemiology analyses can empower leaders who make decisions in public health to understand the effectiveness of policy changes and implement evidence-based law and policy interventions to inform public health practice.

Purpose of funding

This NOFO provides funding to conduct robust policy surveillance and legal mapping of priority and emerging policy levers, including cross-cutting syndemic topics (e.g., social determinants of health, infectious disease consequences of the opioid crisis, safe and supportive school environments, and other health conditions). The data collected will be used to evaluate the impact that laws and policies have on health and economic outcomes, including examining their impact on health disparities. In addition, these legal epidemiological activities will inform the development of specific tools and resources that leaders can use to advance evidence-based policy making and efforts to achieve health equity.

Additionally, this NOFO will fund the creation of a resource center for leaders who make decisions in public health to request technical assistance (TA) and other support in navigating complex law and policy issues in their jurisdictions. Law and policy-related issues and questions occur as state, tribal, local, and territorial jurisdictions develop, adopt, and implement policies. However, leaders who make decisions in public health often lack access to quality tools and resources to make evidence-based policy decisions. By providing TA and building public health capacity, this resource center will support leaders who make decisions in public health in advancing their understanding of how laws are developed, adopted, implemented, and enforced. It will also support jurisdictions and their partners in gaining comprehensive and critical knowledge on how to successfully achieve reductions in morbidity, mortality, and disparities from HIV, viral hepatitis, STDs, and TB and increased use of evidence-based policy decision-making.

Contact email: nchhstppolicy@cdc.gov

Components and Strategies

Component 1

Grow the breadth and depth of longitudinal law and policy surveillance data sets and conduct comprehensive health and economic outcome assessments.

The recipient will use legal epidemiological methods to inform public health practice by identifying laws and policies, systematically collecting data, and conducting analyses to determine the potential or actual impact of laws and policies on health and economic outcomes, including health equity.

Strategies

• Strategy 1.1 – Conduct a data-driven landscape assessment to determine policy topics for legal epidemiological analyses

• Strategy 1.2 – Systematically collect legal data on policy topics and develop publicly available legal data sets

• Strategy 1.3 – Conduct analyses to determine the impact of laws and policies on health and economic

Component 2

Conduct and facilitate policy and legal-related technical assistance (TA) among leaders who make decisions in public health.

The recipient will inform public health practice by providing legal and policy-related TA and developing evidence-based resources and tools for leaders who make decisions in public health.

Strategies

• Strategy 2.1 – Develop a process to address incoming legal TA requests to formulate evidence-based responses to address jurisdiction-specific policy and legal barriers

• Strategy 2.2 – Identify solutions to policy and legal barriers by developing and using evidenced-based TA tools and resources

• Strategy 2.3 – Proactively disseminate TA-related resources to leaders who make decisions in public health

Outcomes

There are two long-term outcomes for this NOFO:

1. Reduced morbidity, mortality, and health disparities from HIV, viral hepatitis, STDs, and TB.
2. Increased evidence-based policy decision-making.

Component 1: Outcomes

Short-Term

1. Increased knowledge of evidence-based laws and policies that reduce morbidity, mortality, and health disparities.
2. Increased knowledge of evidence-based laws and policies that reduce morbidity, mortality, and health disparities.

Intermediate

1. Increased application of evidence-based laws and policies that are found to reduce morbidity, mortality, and health disparities.
2. Increased breadth and depth of available evidence demonstrating the impact that laws and policies have on health and economic outcomes.

Component 2: Outcomes

Intermediate

1. Increased nationwide capacity for addressing policy and legal barriers to inform public health practice.
2. Increased application of legal TA tools and resources in advancing evidence-based laws and policies.

Recipients

Funding data

Total program years: 5

Total period of performance funding: Approximately $7,500,000

This program notice is subject to the appropriation of funds, and is a contingency action taken to ensure that, should funds become available for this purpose, CDC can process applications and award funds in a timely manner. If future fiscal year appropriation or other statute fails to authorize this activity, no awards will be made. Final award amounts may be less than requested. Funding availability in subsequent fiscal years is subject to the availability of appropriated funds.

This NOFO is designed with no award ceiling and as funds are available and, where appropriate, may be added to this mechanism to support program goals on a variety of policy topics.