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Public health refers to social, cultural, economic, and geographic conditions that affect a population's well-being. To assist local, national, and international health agencies and organizations, RAND conducts research on public health issues including disaster preparedness and recovery; surveillance, prevention, and management of infectious disease outbreaks; screening for and prevention of chronic diseases; and ways to strengthen the public health infrastructure.

Report

The U.S. System of Care for Infectious Diseases Could Be Improved

Feb 7, 2020

The current system of care for rare but serious infectious diseases in the United States could be strengthened or more formalized in several ways. But how could these efforts be financed, both in terms of initial investments and long-term sustainability?
Project

Informing the Gun Policy Debate

Mar 1, 2018

RAND's Gun Policy in America initiative provides information on what scientific research can tell us about the effects of gun laws. Our goal is to establish a shared set of facts that will improve public discussions and support the development of fair and effective gun policies.

Explore Public Health

Blog

Preparing for a COVID Surge, Reducing Police Violence, Media Literacy in Schools: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on helping hospitals prepare for a surge in COVID-19 infections, an approach to reducing police violence, teachers' concerns about students' media literacy, and more.

Jul 2, 2020
Essay

COVID Could Surge Anywhere. This Tool Helps Hospitals Prepare

The number of new coronavirus cases is growing in most states. As the pandemic continues to strain U.S. health care systems, a tool developed by RAND researchers can help hospitals prepare for the worst.

Jul 1, 2020
Multimedia

Rethinking the Role of the Strategic National Stockpile

An overview of testimony by Daniel M. Gerstein presented before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on June 24, 2020.

Jun 29, 2020
Commentary

Revoking the 'License to Drink': Emerging Evidence on Mandatory Sobriety

After counties in South Dakota implemented a 24/7 sobriety program, repeat arrests for impaired driving decreased in the counties by an average of 12%. North Dakota implemented a similar program and also saw decreases in impaired driving. Can the same results be achieved outside of the Dakotas?

Jun 29, 2020
Multimedia

When Should We Stop Social Distancing?

Jeanne Ringel, senior economist with the RAND Corporation, describes a new decision-making tool that models the impact of non-pharmaceutical interventions used to address COVID-19 on health and economic outcomes.

Jun 24, 2020
Testimony

The Strategic National Stockpile and COVID-19

The United States maintains a stockpile of drugs, vaccines, and other medical supplies to provide for the nation's emergency health security. COVID-19 has highlighted the need to update current stockpiling capabilities to help prepare for future biological events, including pandemics.

Jun 24, 2020
Commentary

Once a Vaccine Is Ready, Getting People to Take It May Be a Challenge

With COVID-19 vaccine development well underway, implementation of a vaccination program warrants attention. Vaccine effectiveness demands a certain percentage uptake. But since health care delivery in the United States is fragmented, a coherent federal intervention may be necessary.

Jun 9, 2020
News Release

News Release

New Tool Employs Air Travel Data to Predict Global Spread of COVID-19

As the pandemic enters a new phase, punctuated by emerging hot spots and continuing global spread, a new RAND tool allows policymakers to predict regional risks of importing cases of COVID-19.

Jun 5, 2020
Project

Tracking the Spread of COVID-19 with Air Travel Data

As the pandemic enters a new phase, punctuated by emerging hot spots and continuing global spread, a new RAND tool lets policymakers predict regional risks of importing cases of COVID-19.

Jun 5, 2020
Multimedia

COVID-19 Briefing Series: Evidence for Pandemic Recovery Action

Peter Hussey and Courtney Gidengil discuss how RAND can help rethink and retool our emergency management systems.

Jun 5, 2020
Report

COVID-19 Air Traffic Visualization: COVID-19 Cases in China Were Likely 37 Times Higher Than Reported in January 2020

In this report—part of a series on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic—the researchers estimate the likely number of infections in China in early 2020.

Jun 5, 2020
Report

COVID-19 Air Traffic Visualization: Decisionmakers Should Base Travel Restrictions on Infection Rates Per Capita and Air Traffic Levels

In this report—part of a series on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic—the researchers quantify potential vectors of COVID-19 transmission to the United States resulting from commercial air travel.

Jun 5, 2020
Report

COVID-19 Air Traffic Visualization: Air Passenger Transmission Risk to GCC Countries Originated from Outside the Region

In this report—part of a series on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic—the researchers quantify the potential vectors of COVID-19 transmission to Gulf Cooperation Council countries as a result of commercial air travel.

Jun 5, 2020
Report

COVID-19 Air Traffic Visualization: A New Tool Helps Analyze Commercial Air Travel Involving Infected Passengers

In this report—the first in a series on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic—the researchers introduce a new tool to visualize how COVID-19 infections and commercial air travel have interacted to export infection risk across the world.

Jun 5, 2020
Report

COVID-19 Air Traffic Visualization: By January 31, 2020, at Least 1.5 Daily Infected Passengers Were Originating in China

In this report—part of a series on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic—the researchers estimate the daily rate of COVID-19 transmission via air travel from China.

Jun 5, 2020
Multimedia

COVID-19 Briefing Series: Communities, Equity, and COVID-19

Anita Chandra discusses RAND’s efforts to understand COVID-19’s toll on particularly vulnerable populations.

May 28, 2020
Report

How to Best Enable Pharma Innovation Beyond the COVID-19 Crisis

Innovating in response to public health challenges like COVID-19 does not always align well with pharmaceutical industry commercial models or shareholder expectations. More sustainable and scalable ways of incentivizing innovation in response to infectious disease threats are needed.

May 26, 2020
Commentary

Vaccination and Coronavirus: Where the Public Good Clashes with Choice and Freedom

With scientists striving for a viable coronavirus vaccine, and public health officials considering its potential rollout, do calls for freedom of choice and anti-vaccination sentiments, as seen in recent televised protests, represent a worrying omen?

May 22, 2020
Blog

What Happens When States Reopen, Truth Decay, Telemedicine: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the health and economic consequences of states reopening, the dangers of 'Truth Decay' during the coronavirus crisis, helping refugees, and more.

May 22, 2020
Journal Article

Journal Article

COVID-19 Preparedness in Nursing Homes in the Midst of the Pandemic

We describe the COVID-19 preparedness of nursing homes across the nation.

May 21, 2020

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