The resources listed can help answer the following questions:
What is policy and how is it developed?
Where can I find examples of state and local policies or best practices?
What is policy and how is it developed?
Policy and Environmental Change, New Directions for Public Health
Directors of Health Promotion and Education & The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Provides information about the use of policy and environmental change interventions by public health agencies.
Target audience: Health departments, Public health practitioners, and Advocates
Creating Effective Strategies Tools
Prevention Institute
Designed to assist health leaders and practitioners in thinking broadly about the elements needed to design a comprehensive prevention approach.
Target audience: Public health practitioners and Advocates
How Governmental Policy is Made
Michigan State University's Office of University Outreach and Engagement
Explores how the ideas for governmental policy emerge and what it takes to get them adopted.
Target audience: Community-based organizations, Funders, Policymakers, Public health advocates
Influencing Policy Development
Work Group for Community Health and Development at the University of Kansas
Includes a detailed outline for policy development, how-to information, concrete examples, and links to additional resources.
Target audience: Community-based organizations and their partners, Human services organizations
Where can I find examples of state and local policies or best practices?
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Resources to help communities address tobacco use and obesity through policy, systems, and environmental changes. Includes links to searchable databases on legislation related to nutrition, physical activity and heart disease and stroke prevention.
Target audience: Public health practitioners, Health departments, Community-based organizations
The Guide to Community Preventive Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Systematic reviews of programs and policies are used to answer these questions to determine which are the most effective; cost of interventions and likely return on investment.
Target audience: Public health practitioners, Health departments, Community-based organizations
Case Studies of Health Equity Effort
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
Case studies of ten state efforts to demonstrate the wide range of strategies programs used to promote health equity.
Target audience: Health officials, Health departments, Public health practitioners
Model and Promising Practice Database
National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)
A searchable collection of innovative best practices across public health areas.
Target audience: Health departments, Public health practitioners
Database of policy products
Public Health Law and Policy (PHLP)
Searchable database of products, including fact sheets, model documents, reports, legal memos, and presentations on a variety of health issues.
Target audience: Public health practitioners, Community-based organizations and leaders, Government officials
ENACT Local Policy Database
Strategic Alliance
Catalogues promising policies in nutrition and activity.
Target audience: Community-based organizations, Public health practitioners and advocates, General public
Model Policy Database
Transforming Communities, The Praxis Project
A resource of cutting edge local policies designed to redefine communities and their participation in local governance.
Target audience: Community-based organizations, State and local elected officials, Public health practitioners and advocates, General public
Compendium of Effective Programs and Policies
County Health Rankings, Mobilizing Action Toward Community Health (MATCH) project
Examples of programs and policies that have been shown to be effective in addressing specific health factors and focus areas.
Target audience: Community leaders, Public health practitioners and advocates, Employers and businesses, Government officials, Health care professionals