Public Health Preparedness Law and PoliciesAbout the Program
- Facilitating collaboration between preparedness partners to identify legal preparedness needs.
- Conducting research and analysis of legal preparedness issues.
- Developing relevant tools to enhance public health practitioner legal competency.
- Providing public health law training to enhance preparedness for public health emergencies.
Serving as a resource for preparedness law information to individuals with responsibility for public health preparedness and response.
Current Projects:
National Action Agenda for Public Health Legal Preparedness
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and partners have issued the National Action Agenda for Public Health Legal Preparedness as a resource that public health officials, policy makers, and partners may use in assessing and improving their jurisdictions’ legal preparedness for public health emergencies.
National Action Agenda for Public Health Legal Preparedness
UPCPHP's Patt Sweeney, JD, MPH, RN, was a contributing author.
Courthouse Preparedness for Public Health Emergencies: Critical Issues in Bioterror/Biohazard Preparedness Planning
During the second half of 2005, in collaboration with the Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Courts and the University of Pittsburgh Center for Rural Health Practice, UPCPHP preparedness Law Program faculty convened a statewide task force of preparedness experts to create a document for courthouses to use to guide their bioterror/biohazard response planning. The document was completed in January of 2006 and has been distributed throughout the Pennsylvania Court system.
Courthouse Preparedness Booklet
Pennsylvania Public Health Law Bench Book
The University of Pittsburgh Center for Public Health Preparedness has developed a Pennsylvania Public Health Law Bench Book in collaboration with the Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Courts. Set up in a bench guide format, the first section of the Bench Book provides the judiciary with quick access to critical information regarding key areas of public health law such as isolation, quarantine, mandated examination and treatment, and property searches and closures for public health purposes. The Bench Book also provides a full description of the state's public health infrastructure, analysis of court jurisdiction in public health cases, implications of a disaster declaration, definition of responsibility for costs, as well as checklists and model orders for judicial use.
Pennsylvania Public Health Law Bench Book
Legal Preparedness Toolkit for Local Public Health Departments
UPCPHP law program faculty and staff are working with the Allegheny County Health Department, the local Bar Association and local law enforcement authorities to formalize policies and procedures needed to implement and enforce the public health orders that may be needed to control the spread of infectious disease in a large outbreak. A document outlining the steps taken and the procedures, policies and forms created will be published in early 2007. (see resources below)
