Beyond Public Health Emergency Legal Preparedness: Rethinking Best Practices

Moulton A. D. Goodman R. A. Cahill K. and Baker E. L. Jr. “Public Health Legal Preparedness for the 21st Century” Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics 30, no. 2(2002): 141–143.

Moulton A. D. Gottfried R. N. Goodman R. A. Murphy A. M. and Rawson R. D. “What Is Public Health Legal Preparedness?” Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics 31, no. 4(2003): 672–683, at 674.

Benjamin G. C. and Moulton A. D. “Public Health Legal Preparedness: A Framework for Action” Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics 36, no. 1(2008): 13–17.

See Moulton , supra note 2, at 672.

Moulton Detailed efforts in public health legal preparedness with respect to massive public health emergencies. Id., at 680–681. Four years later, in June 2007, the first National Summit on Public Health Legal Preparedness was convened and a related Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics special symposium issue detailed the proceedings, which related solely to public health emergency legal preparedness topics. See Ransom M. M. Lopez W. Goodman R. A. and Moulton A. D. , eds., “The National Action Agenda for Public Health Legal Preparedness” Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics 36, no. 1(2008): 1–80. One notable exception is the National Summit on Legal Preparedness for Obesity Prevention and Control and the related Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics special symposium issue. See Benken D. E. Reynolds M. A. and Hunter A. S. , eds., “Proceedings of the National Summit on Legal Preparedness for Obesity Prevention and Control” Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics 37, no. 2(2009): 1–151.

See Moulton , supra note 2, at 672.

See Benjamin and Moulton , supra note 3, at 16.

Brownson R. C. Fielding J. E. and Maylahn C. M. “Evidence-Based Public Health: A Fundamental Concept for Public Health Practice” Annual Review of Public Health 30 (2009): 175–201, at 177–178.

See Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Public Health Law Program, Public Health Law Bench Books, available at <http://www.cdc.gov/phlp/publications/type/benchbooks.html> (last visited January 4, 2013).

For more information about The Network for Public Health Law and to view Network resources, visit <http://www.networkforphl.org> (last visited January 4, 2013).

For more information about Public Health Law Research, visit <http://publichealthlawresearch.org/> (last visited January 4, 2013). See also, Burris S. Wagenaar A. C. Swanson J. Ibrahim J. K. Wood J. and Mello M. M. “Making the Case for Laws That Improve Health: A Framework for Public Health Law Research” The Milbank Quarterly 88, no. 2(2010): 169–210.

Though the idea of a public health law collaborative to allow interaction between elected officials, public health practitioners, attorneys, researchers, and educators was envisioned at the inception of public health legal preparedness, more work needs to be done to ensure access to a forum for the exchange of experiential information and expanded opportunities for collaboration. See Moulton , supra note 1, at 143.