Abstract
Toward a more just justice system: Why educating the judiciary on the sdoh is a matter of public health and health equity
Wendy Ellen Parmet, JD, Alisa Lincoln, MPH, PhD, Francesca M. Korte and Elaine Marshall, JD, MPH
Northeastern University, Boston, MA
APHA 2024 Annual Meeting and Expo
The SDOH impact health and shape the pattern of health inequities. Past research has shown that statutes and regulations can be powerful SDOH. So, too, can judicial decisions. Judicial decisions can affect population health and health equity through numerous pathways. For example, through the power of judicial review, judges can determine the validity or scope of laws and regulations designed to protect health. Second, the decisions that judges render can influence the exposure that individuals and communities have to a wide range of adverse social drivers of health, from incarceration to pollution. Third, judicial decisions can determine the access of individuals and communities to a range of health-protective social goods, such as health care, stable housing, or food assistance. Despite the importance of judicial decision-making to population health and health equity, most judges have had little opportunity to learn about the SDOH or engage with and evaluate research on the SDOH. Nor have most judges received training on how judicial decision-making serves as a SDOH. presentation, will describe as well as legal audience the varied and extensive pathways through which judicial rulings can shape the SDOH, and thus individual and population health. The presentation will also highlight how the judiciary’s lack of training in the SDOH constitutes both a serious gap in knowledge and an important intervention point.
Other professions or practice related to public health Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs Program planning Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines
Abstract
Salus populi: Teaching judges about the sdoh
Alisa Lincoln, MPH, PhD1, Elaine Marshall, JD, MPH1, Katherine Hazen, JD, PhD1, Wendy Ellen Parmet, JD1 and Alexandra Alden2
(1)Northeastern University, Boston, MA, (2)Newton, MA
APHA 2024 Annual Meeting and Expo
This presentation will describe the development and implementation of Salus Populi, the first judicial education program (JEP) on the SDOH. A multi-stage process was engaged to develop the innovative program. The first step included a needs assessment to assess the landscape of JEPs and understand to what extent judges were already receiving training on the SDOH and areas of interest. Informed by the results of this needs assessment, the program was originally developed as an interactive, 8-hour, tuition-free, 4-unit course introducing judges to foundational public health concepts and research methodologies, as well as poverty, racism, and housing as a SDOH. The course draws upon case law to engage the concepts of the SDOH, including examples in the areas of torts, child welfare, and compassionate release. We will present an overview of the didactic model and course content. Since first implemented in fall 2021, and in partnership with judicial training conferences, the course has been adapted to respond to requests to offer training programs customized to the needs of jurisdiction’s requests. As a result, through March 2024, Salus Populi has provided eleven judicial training courses for approximately 578 attendees from 26 states, and up to 677 others viewed a recorded training. Lessons learned from the development and implementation process will also be discussed. Following this presentation, participants will be better equipped to understand and educate the judiciary as an actor impacting population health, health equity, and the SDOH
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs Other professions or practice related to public health Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs Program planning Public health or related education Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines
Abstract
How judges approach their cases with a public health lens: An evaluation of a public health judicial education program.
Katherine Hazen, JD, PhD1, Isabel Geisler, PhD2, Elaine Marshall, JD, MPH1, Francesca M. Korte1, L. Virginia Martinez1, Wendy Ellen Parmet, JD1 and Alisa Lincoln, PhD, MPH1
(1)Northeastern University, Boston, MA, (2)Boston, MA
APHA 2024 Annual Meeting and Expo
Judges are significant public health actors as they interpret and apply law that impact individual and population health, health equity, and the SDOH. However, judges have little to no formal training throughout their career on public health or the SDOH. No other research, to our knowledge, has explored how judges think about and decide legal issues before them when they are provided with such training. To fill this gap, the presentation will present results from the mixed-methods evaluation of Salus Populi, a judicial education program on the SDOH. We will describe the overall evaluation structure and provide an overview of our process evaluation results, including number of attendees, attendee profession and location, and program satisfaction. We will focus the discussion on findings from qualitative interviews with 14 judges who participated in a full-day Salus Populi training. We use thematic coding to understand how the training impacted the judges’ work. We have identified six themes with some sub-themes, including: shifted mindsets, increased understanding of the people involved in cases, the necessity and consequences of system-level changes, challenges to applying the SDOH and training content, application of knowledge of the SDOH and the training to specific legal issues, and an overall emphasis on health disparities. Our preliminary results demonstrate that attendees are satisfied by the training and believe the training is important for judges. Additionally, that judges think about their work and the people who come before them from a new perspective.
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Abstract
Salus populi in the field: Experiential reflections from a judicial educator.
Lee Ann Barnhardt
North Dakota Supreme Court, Bismarck, ND
APHA 2024 Annual Meeting and Expo
In this presentation as a judicial educator, I will describe the critical necessity of training judges on the social determinants of health and its profound impact on legal decision-making; and experience with Salus Populi. Judges are increasingly tasked with adjudicating cases influenced by complex social factors. Collaborating with Salus Populi for customized in-person and online training is equipping judges in our state with the knowledge and tools to comprehend and address social determinants of health and their impact on legal proceedings. Reflections from participating judges illuminate the profound impact of the training on their perspectives and decision-making processes. One judge, whose district serves a large Native American population, said understanding poverty, historical trauma, public health issues, addiction, mental health and service deficits where you live helps judges make better informed decisions. Another said awareness of the concerns and issues that confront individuals appearing before the court is foundational to delivering justice because context matters. Salus Populi is unique for judicial education in that it is designed to bring light to issues that face court-involved individuals that judges may not be aware of because they are so focused on applying the law and following court procedure. Overall, judges participating in the training express newfound awareness of the intricate connections between social inequities and health disparities, leading to more nuanced considerations in their rulings. A major principle of judicial education is fostering the development of judges so they are able to think in increasingly complex ways. This training accomplishes that goal.
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs Other professions or practice related to public health