Featured Reports
Out of Balance: A Look at Snack Foods in Secondary Schools across the States
The majority of our nation’s secondary schools do not sell fruits and vegetables in school stores, snack bars, or vending machines, according to a new report by the Kids’ Safe and Healthful Foods Project. Read More
Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs: An Assessment of the Evidence for Best Practices
A PDMP is a statewide electronic database that gathers information from pharmacies on dispensed prescriptions for controlled substances. This white paper describes what is known about PDMP best practices and documents the extent to which these practices have been implemented. Read More
Legal Review Concerning the Use of Health Impact Assessments in Non-Health Sectors
This report examines the legal foundations that support incorporating health considerations into policy and programmatic decisions made in non-health fields. The findings are intended to aid public health professionals and others who seek to ensure that such decisions are made with health in mind. Read More
More Reports
| Date | Reports | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 30, 2009 |
The Genetic Town HallThe Genetics and Public Policy Center’s Public Consultation Project on Genes, Environment, and Health consisted of focus groups, interviews with community leaders, a survey, and a series of town halls. This report summarizes the five town hall sessions, which took place from March-May 2008 in Jackson, Mississippi; Kansas City, Missouri; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Phoenix, Arizona; and Portland, Oregon. |
Genetics |
| Mar 31, 2009 |
Safe Credit Card StandardsCredit card companies have powers unique in the world of retail lending. After a consumer has agreed to the terms of a credit card account and used the card to make purchases or obtain cash advances, the card issuer may lawfully rewrite the agreement or demand a higher rate of interest, even on funds previously advanced. In a one-year period between 2007 and 2008, issuers used these powers to raise interest rates on nearly one quarter of cardholder accounts. More info |
Credit Cards |
| Apr 28, 2009 |
Oversight of Next Generation NanotechnologySince 1980, the capability of the federal agencies responsible for environmental health and safety has steadily eroded. The agencies cannot perform their basic functions now, and they are completely unable to cope with the new challenges they face in the 21st century. This paper describes some of these challenges, focusing on next-generation nanotechnologies, and suggests changes that could revitalize the health and safety agencies. More info |
Health Topics |
| Apr 28, 2009 |
It's Not Flu As UsualEvery winter, the U.S. suffers a seasonal flu that kills approximately 36,000 Americans and hospitalizes more than 200,000. Terrible as that is, health experts are now warning about a far more lethal kind of flu – a pandemic flu that could kill over half a million Americans, hospitalize more than two million, cost our economy billions in lost productivity and direct medical expenses, and impact virtually every community. More info |
Pandemic Planning |
| Apr 30, 2009 |
Produce Safety Summit: Implications of Mandatory Safety StandardsEvery year in the United States, foodborne illnesses cause sickness, death, and significant economic and social costs that extend beyond the immediate victims. In January 2007, the Government Accountability Office designated federal oversight of food safety as a high-risk area because of the need to reduce risks to public health as well as the economy. In March 2009, President Obama announced the creation of a Food Safety Working Group to address the need to reduce foodborne illness. A number of actions are being proposed to address these issues, including mandatory safety standards for foods such as fresh produce. However, there are significant inherent challenges in the implementation and enforcement of safety standards, primarily due to multi-stakeholder involvement, increased complexities in the food production and distribution chains, and fragmentation of oversight responsibilities. More info |
Food Hazards |
| May 7, 2009 |
Comparison of GAPs for Fresh ProduceIn the absence of mandatory federal regulations, a number of organizations and one state have stepped into the regulatory void and adopted their own standards for the growing and harvesting of fresh produce (fruits and vegetables intended to be consumed raw) aimed at minimizing microbial contamination. More info |
Food Hazards |
| Jun 8, 2009 |
Legal Analysis Examines Limits to Agricultural Marketing Service's Role in Produce Safety StandardsThis Legal Analysis by the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University Examines AMS’s Role in Produce Safety Standards. More info |
Food Hazards |
| Sep 22, 2009 |
Nanotechnology, Synthetic Biology, & Public OpinionA groundbreaking poll finds that almost half of U.S. adults have heard nothing about nanotechnology, and nearly nine in 10 Americans say they have heard just a little or nothing at all about the emerging field of synthetic biology, according to a new report released by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies and Peter D. Hart Research. Both technologies involve manipulating matter at an incredibly small scale to achieve something new. More info |
Health Topics |
| Oct 28, 2009 |
Still WaitingThis report presents Pew’s findings about the state of the credit card market on the eve of significant new federal regulations designed to eliminate unfair or deceptive practices and foster safer and more transparent products. More info |
Credit Cards |
| Oct 30, 2009 |
Progress on Court ReformsThe release of the court recommendations of the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care in 2004 focused greater attention on the need to enhance dependency court performance to achieve improved outcomes for children and youth in foster care and their families. As part of a first of its kind national judicial summit in 2005, states developed action plans to strengthen dependency court performance in the four critical areas identified by the Pew Commission: accountability, collaboration with child welfare agencies, judicial leadership, and constituent voice. The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 provided $100 million in court improvement funds to support judicial reforms across the country. In this review, Kids Are Waiting both examines the progress that states have made since the 2005 summit in strengthening their dependency courts and improving outcomes for children, youth, and families, and makes recommendations for continued improvements. More info |
Health Topics |
