Law and Policy Technical Assistance: Using Policy to Drive Change

The Harvard Law School Center for Health Law & Policy Innovation (CHLPI) is pleased to present our very first Law & Policy Technical Assistance podcast!

Enjoy this dynamic discussion with leaders in the health care field who are going the extra mile to ensure that our health care and public health infrastructure is truly person-centered. Using Policy to Drive Change features insights on CHLPI’s policy work and sustainability efforts from Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation grantees:

• Erica Martinez, Associate Director of the Office of Community Engagement and Health Equity of the University of Illinois Cancer Center; and
• Leo Waterston, Program Director for Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation at Maine Medical Center Research Institute, and Director of the Maine Lung Cancer Coalition.

This episode was moderated by Maryanne Tomazic, a clinical instructor for CHLPI.

Erica’s team from UICC worked with CHLPI to advance Illinois’ efforts to create a reimbursement mechanism for Community Health Workers. Reporting on a whirlwind of policy activity in the spring of 2021 that included (1) analysis of CHW efforts in other states, (2) passage of legislation that mandated a CHW certification program and reimbursement plan for the state, and (3) the launch of critical implementation work, Erica reflects on both the process of engaging in policy work for an academic medical center and on the incredible value of engagement with policy and sustainability efforts. CHLPI’s guide to issues raised by the CHW legislation passed in Illinois is available here.

Leo’s team from the Maine Lung Cancer Coalition worked with CHLPI to identify and promote policies that would enhance protection from radon exposure for Maine residents. To ensure that Maine policymakers understood national best practices, CHLPI and MLCC collaborated on a 50-state survey of radon law and policy that Leo’s team is using to motivate change in his home state. Leo reflects on a year of policy wins and lessons learned, with implications for the Maine policy landscape and beyond. Radon Risk Reduction: A Fractured Policy Landscape is available here.