Issue At A Glance

IHPL periodically develops briefs on current issues with a special focus on oral health, hunger, and mental/behavioral health. We hope that our “Issue At A Glance” will inform our readers and spark a dialogue among stakeholders to better promote health and prevent disease. To access previous issues, please visit our archive.

Issue Briefs

December 2022. White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health

This brief will provide an overview of the recent White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, outlining forthcoming national strategies to end hunger, reduce diet-related diseases, and reduce health disparities by 2030.

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November 2022. Medicaid Reimbursement Rates

Compared to private insurance and Medicare, Medicaid consistently has lower reimbursement rates, affecting provider participation in this vital program. This brief will dive into this issue, highlighting its effect on health equity.

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September 2022. Gun Violence and Children’s Health

Given that more than 300 mass shootings have occurred in the United States so far in 2022, this brief will explore the short- and long-term effects of gun violence exposure on children’s health.

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Female dentist examining the mouth of female patient

August 2022. Disparities in Oral Health Care Access Among Californians

Access to oral health care is disproportionally lower in certain groups, such as people living in poverty, certain racial/ethnic minority groups, and people living in rural areas. This brief will provide an overview of some indicators of a lack of access to oral health care and barriers to accessing oral health care.

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June 2022. Disparities in Sickle Cell Disease Funding & Research

Although sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common inherited blood disorder in the US, it does not receive adequate federal or private funding. This brief will highlight the SCD funding and research disparity and provide an overview of two pivotal state and federal SCD policies.

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Woman meeting with her doctor via her computer

April 2022. The Digital Divide and Telehealth

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted how significant internet-based technology is to accessing telehealth services and how the digital divide worsened existing inequities in access to health care. This brief provides an overview of the relationship between the digital divide and telehealth and highlights federal and state policies that aim to close the digital divide.

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February 2022. Climate Change and Food Insecurity

Climate change is one of the foremost factors challenging public health today, and this issue brief delves into how climate change affects food insecurity, another important public health issue.

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Silhouette of two faces looking at each other with one face showing green grass and the other face showing cracked brown ground

January 2022. Climate Change and Mental Health

Climate change has direct and indirect effects on mental health of individuals and communities, and this issue brief highlights some of these effects.

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