Assessing Information and Best Practices for Public Health Emergency Legal Preparedness

Abstract

Information is the fourth core element of public health legal preparedness and of legal preparedness for public health emergencies specifically. Clearly, the creation, transmittal, and application of information are vital to all public health endeavors. The critical significance of information grows exponentially as the complexity and scale of public threats increase.Only a small body of organized information on public health law existed before the 21st century: a series of landmark books published beginning in 1926 by Tobey, Grad (1965), and Wing (1974); model public health laws published as early as 1907; systematic reviews of original research studies published in the 1990s; and a small but growing number of articles published in public health journals and law reviews.With the new century came new public health law programs and activities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in public health professional associations, and in numerous non-profit and academic organizations.

Achieving public health legal preparedness: how dissonant views on public health law threaten emergency preparedness and response

“…Previous studies have identified unresolved gaps in the existing laws hindering cross-sectoral and cross-jurisdictional coordination of emergency preparedness. 4,10,11 Other studies found a wide variation in how local preparedness law defines emergencies, liability protection and authorities, 12 and showed that state-level PH preparedness initiatives differ significantly in their organization, administration, workforce and funding sources. 13 Consistent with our findings, such differences affect the state and local level inter-agency collaboration.…”

Assessing Information on Public Health Law Best Practices for Obesity Prevention and Control

“…Indeed, one might argue that a multitude of state and local experiments that are subsequently evaluated and disseminated will provide the needed information base to use law effectively to reduce obesity rates. 50 Until the benchmarks are identified, lawmakers will need to use the best available information to make decisions.…”

Promoting Information Sharing for Multijurisdictional Public Health Emergency Preparedness

“…4−6 During the planning process, access to pertinent and informative resources is vital to ensure the medical, legal, logistical, public health, and emergency preparedness at all levels of government. 7 This can be problematic for smaller public health agencies, the very ones tasked to develop and carry out these multijurisdictional collaborations. State budget cuts and increased demand on operational resources for the latest public health need, such as H1N1 surveillance and testing, can severely restrict regional planning efforts.…”