Publications
Policy Review: Climate Change Initiatives in the Deep South
March 14, 2022 | Anushree Gade, LHC Intern BACKGROUND Last year in late October and early November, we saw many news articles pertaining to the Glasgow Climate Change Conference. Counties across the world are collaborating with one another to address the international...
Policy Review: Alabama’s Push Toward Electric Vehicles
March 1, 2022, | Anushree Gade, LHC Intern As a state, Alabama has been making a more pronounced effort to adopt sustainability initiatives. This may result from people becoming more knowledgeable about climate change and how sustainability directly plays into it....
A Conversation with Dr. Eri Saikawa
February 24, 2022 The Lister Hill Center for Health Policy recently hosted Dr. Eri Saikawa for a seminar on climate-smart agriculture and the impact of urban gardening on public health. Dr. Saikawa’s research includes evaluating the impact of fertilizer on air quality...
Policy Watch: The Impact of Eliminating Grocery Sales Tax
February 14, 2021 | Kimberly Randall, LHC Program Coordinator Background For almost two decades, Alabama policymakers have debated whether or not to remove the sales tax on groceries. Currently, sales tax on groceries accounts for nearly $500 million in state...
Policy Watch: Top Public Health Issues in the 2022 Alabama Legislative Session
February 7, 2022 | Kimberly Randall, LHC Program Coordinator Montgomery CapitalPhoto Courtesy of Getty Images Legislatures have spoken about various agendas, and points of interest as the Alabama House of Representatives and Senate reconvene for the official 2022...
The Widespread Impact of Eco-Anxiety
January 31, 2022 | Anushree Gade, Lister Hill Center Intern Climate change has been gathering large amounts of attention in recent years. Since the late twentieth century, temperatures have been rising, and 2020 was the second warmest year in recorded history....
Policy Works: US Launches At-Home Covid Testing Initiative
January 18, 2022 | Kimberly Randall, Lister Hill Center Program Coordinator Photo Courtesy of Getty Images Health policy can take many forms and impacts multiple parts of the public health sector. From housing reform to addressing nutrition in impoverished...
Reviewing Alabama’s Policy Efforts to Improve Mental Health
December 13, 2021 | Anushree Gade, LHC Intern Closed mental health institution in Alabama | Photo courtesy of Getty Images Mental health has been a growing concern in our state of Alabama over the past decade. However, despite its growing prevalence, mental health has...
Local Initiatives to Reduce Food Insecurity in Birmingham Communities
November 22, 2021 | Kimberly Randall, LHC Program Coordinator 2021 marked the 80th anniversary of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms: Religion, speech, want, and fear. While religion and speech are constitutionally protected, many families in the...
Policy Review: Medicaid Expansion’s Impact on Mental Health
November 15, 2021 | Anushree Gade, LHC Student Assistant Background Medicaid and Medicare are often used together, but the qualifications and operations for each are vastly different. Medicare is regulated by the federal government and is age-dependent (for people...
Glossary of Terms
Policy Watch: Policy Watch publications are modeled after a traditional white paper but contain plain-text, interdisciplinary analyses of active pieces of legislation or court cases that have potential outcomes on community health. These pieces include the background, text, impact, and next steps of a particular policy initiative, along with providing resources for how to get involved as a constituent or researcher.
Policy Review: Policy Review publications operate as a legislative review of current policies and provide a comparison to other peer cities, states, or countries on a specific health topic. These publications highlight room for growth or change with positive health outcomes.
Policy Works: Following the successful implementation of an executive order, resolution, legislation, court decision, or other policy mechanisms, Policy Works evaluates the effectiveness and impact on community health from origination to the present day.
Policy Brief: Everything you need to know, all in one place. Policy briefs are a traditional form of civic engagement used to encapsulate broad, often complex, situations and create a one-page document that’s easy to read and distribute to policymakers and citizens alike.
Policy Surveillance: Policy Surveillance is an initiative that the Lister Hill Center partnered with Drexel University to monitor legislation and policy changes at the municipal levels in Birmingham.