Issue At A Glance

Issue Briefs

April 2026. Ultra-Processed Foods

This brief discusses the definition of ultra-processed foods, their prevalence, and associated health impacts, while considering regulatory and equity challenges in their regulation.

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March 2026. School-Based Health Centers

This brief examines the important role School-Based Health Centers play in providing children's access to health care in the United States.

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February 2026. Youth Gambling in the Digital Age

This brief examines youth gambling risks, policy gaps, and the need for stronger regulations.

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January 2026. PFAS (“Forever Chemicals”)

This issue brief highlights common sources of PFAS, their potential health effects, and current policies to reduce exposure and protect communities.

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December 2025. Climate Impact of Healthcare

This brief describes the healthcare sector's impact on climate change and outlines how the healthcare sector can help improve health by working towards net zero carbon emissions.

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November 2025. Digital Marketing and Childhood Obesity

This brief explores how the digital marketing of junk food, sugary drinks and unhealthy snacks influences childhood obesity and health.

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October 2025. Advancing Oral Health Equity

This brief provides an overview of health disparities in oral health, the Dental Public Health Residency Program, and legislative efforts to advance oral health equity.

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September 2025. Adverse Childhood Experiences and Toxic Stress

This brief provides an overview of the health effects of ACEs and toxic stress, California’s ACEs Aware initiative, and the ACEs and Toxic Stress campaign.

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August 2025. Vision and Eye Health in Children and Adults

With August being Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month, this brief provides an overview of the importance of early vision screening in children, the Vision Healthcare Initiative, and policies proposed to address eye health among children and adults.

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July 2025. Summer Food Insecurity Among US Children

This brief examines the rise in food insecurity among school-aged children during the summer months that results in health and educational consequences, current programs aimed at closing the summer nutrition gap, and barriers to accessing these programs.

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June 2025. The Health and Housing Nexus

This brief provides an overview of the negative effects of housing instability on health, the CalWORKS Homeless Assistance program, and California’s legislative efforts to promote health through housing.

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May 2025. Food Insecurity Among US Seniors

This brief examines the impact of food insecurity on the health of older adults and highlights the persistent barriers to effectively addressing this issue in the United States.

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April 2025. Barriers to Mental Health Care for Ethnic Minority Groups

With April being National Minority Health Month, this brief examines three primary barriers to adequate mental healthcare for minority groups.

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March 2025. Confronting Health Misinformation

This brief provides an overview of the former U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory on health misinformation and methods for identifying health misinformation.

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February 2025. Rising Rates of Early Onset Cancer

February being National Cancer Prevention Month, this brief provides an overview of the relationship between tobacco use and cancer, Every Woman Counts initiative, and the rising cancer rates in young adults.

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January 2025. Healthcare Coverage for Immigrants in the U.S.

This brief provides an overview of the history and trends in policies affecting healthcare coverage for immigrants in the United States.

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December 2024. Home and Community-Based Services for People with Disabilities

This brief provides an introduction to home and community-based services (HCBS) that provide support for disabled people to live in their communities.

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November 2024. Voting and Health

This brief provides an overview of how voting can impact various aspects of health, including the social determinants of health as well as individual and population health.

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October 2024. Social Media and Youth Mental Health

This brief provides an overview of the Surgeon General’s advisory on social media and youth mental health, the Kids Online Safety Act, and the impacts of social media on youth mental health.

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September 2024. Firearm Violence

This brief provides an overview of the U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory on firearm violence, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, and the impact of firearms on community and individual health.

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August 2024. Vaccines

In honor of the National Immunization Awareness Month, this brief provides an overview of vaccine hesitancy, the Vaccines National Strategic Plan 2021-2025, and various vaccine safety monitoring systems in the US.

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July 2024. Plastics and Microplastics

In honor of the Plastic Free July, this brief provides an overview of various sources of microplastics in the environment, the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015, and the negative health effects of plastics and microplastics.

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June 2024. Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare

This brief provides an overview of the Executive Order on artificial intelligence, the use of ChatGPT in healthcare, and the broader applications of AI in medicine and healthcare.

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May 2024. Women’s Mental Health

In honor of the Mental Health Awareness Month and the National Women’s Health Week in May, this issue brief provides an overview of the gender gap in mental health, the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health, and the various factors impacting women’s mental health.

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April 2024. Disparities in Minority Health

In honor of National Minority Health Month, this issue brief explores the disparities in minority health along with a number of national efforts to address these disparities.

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March 2024. Mental Health and the Aging Population

This brief explores the effect of aging on mental health, the UN Decade of Healthy Aging, and mental health resources for the aging population.

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February 2024. Disparities in Oral Healthcare

This issue brief explores the disparities in oral healthcare in the United States along with some national policy efforts to mitigate these disparities.

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January 2024. Incarceration and Healthcare

This brief explores the limited access to healthcare that incarcerated individuals have and the impacts of incarceration on physical, mental, and reproductive health.

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