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Recent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases (e.g., mumps and meningitis) among young adults at higher education institutions (e.g., university, college, and junior college campuses) have proliferated nationally. Collectively, they illustrate a pressing public health concern regarding low vaccination rates among higher education populations contributing to outbreaks of communicable diseases. A primary cause of these outbreaks are lax requirements for student vaccinations among higher education institutions as a requirement for matriculation. A series of inconsistences and failures concerning vaccination law or policy requirements among select higher education institutions lends to profound public health and ethical repercussions for students and community members. Against the backdrop of rising rates or outbreaks of vaccine-preventable conditions among institutional populations, addressing these findings is vital to alleviate future outbreaks on campuses and surrounding locales.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that more than 70 000 deaths from drug overdoses occurred in 2017, including prescription and illicit opioids, representing a 6-fold increase since 1999. Innovative harm-reduction solutions are imperative. Supervised injection facilities (SIFs) create safe places for drug injection, including overdose prevention, counseling, and treatment referral services. Supervised injection facilities neither provide illicit drugs nor do their personnel inject users. Supervised injection facilities are effective in reducing drug-related mortality, morbidity, and needle-borne infections. Yet their lawfulness remains uncertain. The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently threatened criminal prosecution for SIF operators, medical personnel, and patrons.