PH Law_Attach-A_Public Health Law Program Brochure

PUBLIC HEALTH
LAW PROGRAM
Law as a Public Health Tool

Below are examples of the resources offered
by PHLP and partners.
Healthcare-Associated Infections

The Association of State and Territorial Health
Officials and CDC developed a policy toolkit to
help eliminate healthcare-associated infections
(HAIs) in states. The toolkit includes promising
ways to use legal and policy interventions in a
comprehensive HAI prevention program.
www.cdc.gov/HAI/prevent/astho-policytoolkit.
html

Public Health Law 101, Unit 9: Obesity Prevention
and Control

Public Health Law 101 is a foundational course
for public health practitioners provided by CDC;
this course is designed for delivery by legal
counsel to STLT public health department staff
who want to better understand legal issues
affecting public health outcomes in their area.
Unit 9 addresses obesity and includes scientific
information on obesity, an examination of
existing laws on nutrition and physical activity
that influence obesity, and a discussion of
selected crosscutting, innovative laws.
http://www2a.cdc.gov/phlp/phl101/

Contact Information
Public Health Law Program
1600 Clifton Rd
MS-E70
Atlanta, GA 30333
Phone: 404-498-0470
Fax: 404-498-6882
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.cdc.gov/phlp

Overview of Public Health Law
Law is a tool for protecting and promoting the
health of the public, and has been critical in
attaining public health goals. Many of public
health’s greatest successes, including high
childhood immunization rates, improved
motor vehicle safety, safer workplaces, and
reduced tooth decay, have relied heavily on law.
Further, law will play an increasingly important
role in addressing emerging public health
threats such as childhood obesity, healthcareassociated infections, motor vehicle injuries,
and prescription drug overdoses.

PHLP Services and Technical Assistance
Attorneys and public health advisors in PHLP
can provide guidance, research, and analysis to
health departments struggling with legal issues
such as the review of enabling laws, shared
service delivery, data sharing and other cross
jurisdiction agreements, health information
privacy, and emergency preparedness.
PHLP has experience with helping jurisdictions
of all sizes and can bring a national perspective
to local issues. PHLP can help STLT health
departments access the wealth of scientific
knowledge and experience at CDC and provide
recommendations at the intersection of law,
policy, and science. Request assistance at
www2.cdc.gov/phlp/infoInquiry.asp.

PHLP works with STLT public health departments
and other partners to
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Identify public health law priorities
Research laws that impact
the public’s health
Analyze public health
legal preparedness
Conduct comparative analyses
across jurisdictions
Draft guidance, articles,
reports, and toolkits
Develop and disseminate
public health law curricula

The CDC Public Health Law News
is a monthly email digest of current
news stories, court opinions, and
special features on public health
law, legislation, and policy.
Sign up today!

www.cdc.gov/phlp

Public Health Law Program
The Public Health Law Program (PHLP) at the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) works to improve the health of the public
by developing law-related tools and providing
legal technical assistance to public health
practitioners and policy makers in state, tribal,
local, and territorial (STLT) jurisdictions.

Public Health
Law News

Collaboration
PHLP works colleagues in a variety of disciplines,
including public health practitioners; elected
officials; attorneys in public health, health
care, and related specialties; members of the
law enforcement, judicial, and emergency
management communities; researchers; and
educators. In cases where we may not have
expertise within PHLP, we have access to a
nationwide cadre of public health law experts.
PHLP staff facilitates collaboration within the
public health law community through a listserv,
contact directories, and training sessions.

Resources
In the current economy, many STLT health
departments have had to cut costs and
leverage scarce resources. PHLP, together
with partners across the country, can provide
scalable assistance and a variety of practical
resources that public health departments and
partners can use to assess and strengthen
public health laws. Many of these resources
can be implemented at minimal financial cost
and customized to the needs of individual
jurisdictions.