Evidence-Based Practice for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response


Book Description

When communities face complex public health emergencies, state local, tribal, and territorial public health agencies must make difficult decisions regarding how to effectively respond. The public health emergency preparedness and response (PHEPR) system, with its multifaceted mission to prevent, protect against, quickly respond to, and recover from public health emergencies, is inherently complex and encompasses policies, organizations, and programs. Since the events of September 11, 2001, the United States has invested billions of dollars and immeasurable amounts of human capital to develop and enhance public health emergency preparedness and infrastructure to respond to a wide range of public health threats, including infectious diseases, natural disasters, and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear events. Despite the investments in research and the growing body of empirical literature on a range of preparedness and response capabilities and functions, there has been no national-level, comprehensive review and grading of evidence for public health emergency preparedness and response practices comparable to those utilized in medicine and other public health fields. Evidence-Based Practice for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response reviews the state of the evidence on PHEPR practices and the improvements necessary to move the field forward and to strengthen the PHEPR system. This publication evaluates PHEPR evidence to understand the balance of benefits and harms of PHEPR practices, with a focus on four main areas of PHEPR: engagement with and training of community-based partners to improve the outcomes of at-risk populations after public health emergencies; activation of a public health emergency operations center; communication of public health alerts and guidance to technical audiences during a public health emergency; and implementation of quarantine to reduce the spread of contagious illness.




The Future of the Public's Health in the 21st Century


Book Description

The anthrax incidents following the 9/11 terrorist attacks put the spotlight on the nation's public health agencies, placing it under an unprecedented scrutiny that added new dimensions to the complex issues considered in this report. The Future of the Public's Health in the 21st Century reaffirms the vision of Healthy People 2010, and outlines a systems approach to assuring the nation's health in practice, research, and policy. This approach focuses on joining the unique resources and perspectives of diverse sectors and entities and challenges these groups to work in a concerted, strategic way to promote and protect the public's health. Focusing on diverse partnerships as the framework for public health, the book discusses: The need for a shift from an individual to a population-based approach in practice, research, policy, and community engagement. The status of the governmental public health infrastructure and what needs to be improved, including its interface with the health care delivery system. The roles nongovernment actors, such as academia, business, local communities and the media can play in creating a healthy nation. Providing an accessible analysis, this book will be important to public health policy-makers and practitioners, business and community leaders, health advocates, educators and journalists.







Biological Threats and Terrorism


Book Description

In the wake of September 11th and recent anthrax events, our nation's bioterrorism response capability has become an imminent priority for policymakers, researchers, public health officials, academia, and the private sector. In a three-day workshop, convened by the Institute of Medicine's Forum on Emerging Infections, experts from each of these communities came together to identify, clarify, and prioritize the next steps that need to be taken in order to prepare and strengthen bioterrorism response capabilities. From the discussions, it became clear that of utmost urgency is the need to cast the issue of a response in an appropriate framework in order to attract the attention of Congress and the public in order to garner sufficient and sustainable support for such initiatives. No matter how the issue is cast, numerous workshop participants agreed that there are many gaps in the public health infrastructure and countermeasure capabilities that must be prioritized and addressed in order to assure a rapid and effective response to another bioterrorist attack.




The Law of Emergencies


Book Description

The Law of Emergencies: Public Health and Disaster Management, Second Edition, introduces the American legal system as it interacts with disaster management, public health and civil unrest issues. Nan Hunter shows how the law in this area plays out in the context of real life emergencies where individuals often have to make split-second decisions. This book covers the major legal principles underlying emergency policy and operations and analyzes legal authority at the federal, state and local levels, placing the issues in historical context but concentrating on contemporary questions. The book includes primary texts, reader-friendly expository explanation and sample discussion questions in each chapter, as well as scenarios for each of the three major areas to put the concepts in to action. Prior knowledge of the law is not necessary in order to use and understand this book, and it satisfies the need of professionals in a wide array of fields related to emergency management to understand both what the law requires and how to analyze issues for which there is no clear legal answer. The book features materials on such critical issues as how to judge the extent of Constitutional authority for government to intervene in the lives and property of American citizens. At the same time, it also captures bread-and-butter issues such as responder liability and disaster relief methods. No other book brings these components together in a logically organized, step by step fashion. - Updated with expanded coverage and several new chapters - Re-organized to improve topic focus, with sections covering The President, Congress, and the Courts; Governance on the Ground; The Rights of Individuals; Disaster Management and Reconstruction; Health Emergencies; Preserving the Social Fabric; and Liability - Includes a new disaster scenario (a dirty bomb explosion in Washington, DC) to illustrate the application of key concepts - Features two new appendices that provide key excerpts from the U.S. Constitution and the Stafford Act - Includes a new glossary of legal and legislative terms




Public Health Law


Book Description

Public Health Law, first published in 2000, has been widely acclaimed as the definitive statement on public health law at the start of the twenty-first century. Lawrence O. Gostin's definition was based on the notion that government bears a responsibility for advancing the health and well-being of the general population, and the book developed a rich understanding of the government's powers and duties while showing law to be an effective tool in the realization of a healthier and safer population. In this second edition, Gostin analyzes the major health threats of our times, from emerging infectious diseases and bioterrorism to chronic diseases caused by obesity.




Public Health Law


Book Description

“This book is very well researched, organized, documented, and referenced. The case studies are relevant to specific public health issues related to race, gender, equity, sexual orientation, poverty, homelessness, drug addiction, and chronic diseases facing U.S. populations in the 21st century. The book offers background information for professionals to try to analyze the root causes and develop public health measures to ameliorate these problems." ---Doody's Review Service, 4 stars Public Health Law: Concepts and Case Studies is a practical textbook for students of public health and health policy with comprehensive coverage of core concepts in law across public health sectors. The text builds upon the understanding that law is a significant determinant of health while highlighting essential knowledge of legal issues and laws affecting public health outcomes. Chapters address major topics in United States public health law and take a competency-based approach influenced by models developed by the CDC’s Public Health Law Program. The book describes the most important and relevant considerations of the law through case studies and real-world examples that students and practitioners of public health need as a baseline in order to mitigate health inequities and public health threats. Written with a basis in health equity, chapters also include call-out boxes to appropriate health equity related principles and theories. The book’s three parts explore law as a foundation for public health practice, law in everyday practice, and law as a transdisciplinary public health tool. It addresses key legal concepts such as the sources of authority in the United States legal system, constitutional foundations, limitations of authority, regulation, and litigation as they relate to public health. The most prevalent public health law topics and national public health strategies are covered in clear prose and offer guidance on the law and legal issues related to immunization, infectious disease control, chronic disease prevention and management, unintentional and intentional injury prevention, emergency law, global public health, environmental law, LGBT populations and the law, women’s reproductive health topics and more. Hypothetical case studies throughout illustrate how law impacts public health practice across a variety of settings and populations. Content on the transdisciplinary nature of public health practice spans topics such as law as a social determinant of health, the Health in All Policies initiative, legal epidemiology, law and ethics, and the scope of public health decision-making. Insightful and practical in its approach, Public Health Law: Concepts and Case Studies provides students and public health practitioners alike with knowledge and tools for utilizing the law to advance public health goals in the communities they serve. Key Features: Includes practical, real-world case studies illustrating the intersection of law and public health in many different contexts Highlights health equity and social justice issues relevant to chapter topics Explains legal frameworks and challenging legal concepts in easy to read prose Highlights relevant legal issues and considerations during the COVID-19 pandemic Includes access to the fully downloadable eBook as well as instructor ancillary materials such as Instructor’s Manual, PowerPoints, and Test Bank




Communicating Risk in Public Health Emergencies


Book Description

"During public health emergencies, people need to know what health risks they face, and what actions they can take to protect their health and lives. Accurate information provided early, often, and in languages and channels that people understand, trust and use, enables individuals to make choices and take actions to protect themselves, their families and communities from threatening health hazards." -- Publisher's description.




Health Emergency Preparedness and Response


Book Description

Intensely practical and down to earth, this timely new text covers the breadth of health emergency preparedness, resilience and response topics in the context of inter-disciplinary and whole society responses to a range of threats. It includes public, private and third sector roles in preparation for and in response to natural and man-made events, such as: major incident planning; infectious disease epidemics and pandemics; natural disasters; terrorist threats; and business and service continuity management. The book builds upon the basics of risk assessment and writing an emergency plan, and then covers inter-agency working, command and control, communication, personal impact and business continuity as well as training, exercises and post-incident follow up. Detailing the full emergency preparedness and civil protection planning cycle, the book is illustrated throughout with real-life examples and case studies from global experts in the field for countries with both advanced and developing healthcare systems. This practical handbook covering the essential aspects of major incident and disaster management is ideal for undergraduate and master's students in emergency management and public health, as well as for practitioners in emergency preparedness and civil protection. It will be valuable to all health practitioners from ambulance, hospital, primary and community care, mental health and public health backgrounds.




The Future of Public Health


Book Description

"The Nation has lost sight of its public health goals and has allowed the system of public health to fall into 'disarray'," from The Future of Public Health. This startling book contains proposals for ensuring that public health service programs are efficient and effective enough to deal not only with the topics of today, but also with those of tomorrow. In addition, the authors make recommendations for core functions in public health assessment, policy development, and service assurances, and identify the level of government--federal, state, and local--at which these functions would best be handled.