The Institute of Medicine, in their 1988 report on the future of public health, found that “State public health laws are in many cases seriously outdated.” The Institute recommended that states review their public health statutes and make revisions necessary to 1) clearly delineate the basic authority and responsibility of public health agencies, and 2) support a set of modern disease control measures that address contemporary health problems and incorporate due process safeguards. The new chapter on Public Health Infrastructure in Healthy People 2010 includes an objective related to statutory review and revision, and asserts “the Nation’s public health infrastructure would be strengthened if jurisdictions had a model law and could use it regularly for improvements.”
The Turning Point Public Health Statute Modernization National Collaborative is a partnership of state and local public health entities, national organizations, and federal agencies working together to develop a model state public health law. The model law is intended to provide a tool for assessment of current law and guidance of law improvement efforts. The Collaborative has completed its first phase of work, review of the condition of state public health law, and has begun the process of drafting the model. This presentation will provide an overview of the organization and structure of the Collaborative, the findings of the Collaborative’s statutory review, the principles and framework for the model public health law, and the next steps in the Collaborative’s process to complete and disseminate the model.
See www.turningpointprogram.orgLearning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to: 1. Describe the purpose, organization, and structure of the Turning Point Public Health Statute Modernization National Collaborative. 2. List work plans and products of the Collaborative. 3. Articulate findings on the current condition of public health law. 4. Recognize opportunities for utilizing products to be developed by the Collaborative.
Keywords: Public Health Legislation, Collaboration
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: Turning Point Initiative
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.