Data-Driven Justice Relaunch: Improving Outcomes Through Coordinated Health & Justice Systems
Virtual Event | On-Demand Recording
This webinar is available on-demand. If you have trouble accessing the recording, please email nacomeetings@naco.org.
Communities across the country are coming together to better support the needs of their familiar faces—individuals with complex health and behavioral health conditions who frequently cycle through jails, homeless shelters, emergency departments and other crisis services. Sharing data across health and justice sectors to align service delivery enables counties and cities to integrate their systems of care and improve outcomes for high-needs residents. Join NACo and our partners for an important event to relaunch the Data-Driven Justice initiative with new tools and learning opportunities to explore how we can better serve familiar faces. Attendees will
- hear from experts and people directly impacted by health and justice systems,
- learn how data-alignment strategies can break the cycle of incarceration and hospitalization and
- receive information on exciting new opportunities to support local efforts.
Data-Driven Justice is supported by Arnold Ventures and led by the National Association of Counties (NACo). Over 150 counties and cities participate in the initiative by developing and implementing cross-system data-sharing efforts.
Speakers
Margarita Chavez-Sanchez
Hon. Erica Crawley
Amy Federer
Hon. Larry Johnson
Walter Katz
Hon. David Rhodes
USDA and HHS release new dietary guidelines
On January 7, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. unveiled the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030.
House passes legislation to increase the Crime Victims Fund
On January 12, the House passed the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act (H.R. 909) by a voice vote.
CMS requires state Medicaid suspension upon arrest versus termination
Effective January 1, 2026, federal law now requires states to suspend, rather than terminate, Medicaid coverage when an individual is incarcerated.
ICE hiring surge challenges county law enforcement
Local governments hope that their law enforcement personnel will favor the familiarity of the communities they serve when weighing potentially lucrative immigration enforcement recruitment bonuses, which may require them to uproot their lives.
County Countdown – Dec. 15, 2025
Every other week, NACo's County Countdown reviews top federal policy advocacy items with an eye towards counties and the intergovernmental partnership.
The Current State of Student Debt and Forgiveness
This webinar is designed for county HR and leadership teams seeking practical ways to support employees struggling with student debt.
Over 9 million public service workers, including full-time county employees, are eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Yet fewer than 3 percent have successfully received relief.
The issue is not eligibility. It is awareness, complexity, and follow-through.
Please join us as we speak with student debt forgiveness expert Tony Raffa, who will clarify today’s student debt landscape, including:
- What recent policy and executive actions mean for public sector employees
- How Department of Education changes affect forgiveness eligibility, timelines, and compliance
- Which student debt relief programs do employees actually qualify for today
- The current status of the SAVE program
- Common application errors that delay or derail forgiveness
- Rising delinquency and repayment restart risks
- What HR teams need to know about collections, wage garnishment notices, and employer responsibilities
Attendees will also see how a new student debt navigation tool helps employees estimate their potential forgiveness, avoid costly mistakes, and reduce annual payments by an average of $2,244.
For HR teams, this means a scalable way to offer meaningful financial support without adding administrative burden.
Featured Initiative
Familiar Faces Initiative
The Familiar Faces Initiative aimed to reduce incarceration and hospitalization rates for individuals frequently cycling through jails, shelters, and emergency services. The program encouraged communities to share data and integrate care between health and justice systems for earlier intervention, improving outcomes for these "familiar faces."
