Law in Public Health Practice

Continually changing health threats, technologies, science, and demographics require that public health professionals have an understanding of law sufficient to address complex new public health challenges as they come into being. Law in Public Health Practice, Second Edition provides a thorough review of the legal basis and authorities for the core elements of public health practice and solid discussions of existing and emerging high-priority areas where law and public health intersect.

As in the previous edition, each chapter is authored jointly by experts in law and public health. This new edition features three completely new chapters, with several others thoroughly revised and updated. New chapters address such topics as the structure of law in US public health systems and practice, the role of the judiciary in public health, and law in chronic disease prevention and control. The chapter on public health emergencies has also been fully revised to take into account both the SARS epidemic of 2003 and the events of the Fall of 2001. The chapter now discusses topics such as the legal basis for declaring emergencies, the legal structure of mutual aid agreements, and the role of the military in emergencies. Other fully revised chapters include those on genomics, injury prevention, identifiable health information, and ethics in the practice of public health.

The book begins with a section on the legal basis for public health practice, including foundations and structure of the law, discussions of the judiciary, ethics and practice of public health, and criminal law and international considerations. The second section focuses on core public health applications and the law, and includes chapters on legal counsel for public health practitioners, legal authorities for interventions in public health emergencies, and considerations for special populations. The third section discusses the law in controlling and preventing diseases, injuries, and disabilities. This section includes chapters on genomics, vaccinations, foodborne illness, STDs, reproductive health, chronic disease control, tobacco use, and occupational and environmental health.

All chapters take a practical approach and are written in an accessible, user-friendly fashion. This is an excellent resource for a wide readership of public health practitioners, lawyers, and healthcare providers, as well as for educators and students of law and public health.