This self-paced course is a step-by-step guide for helping you organize your thinking, strategize and communicate about action items, and propose changes in policies that affect your community. This content was developed by former NWCPHP Director, Susan Allan, who has more than twenty years of experience in state and local public health leadership, and has worked to shape health policy at the national level.
Estimated time to complete: 1 hour
Learning Objectives
- Identify the key components of a policy brief
- Recognize public health situations in which a policy brief is appropriate
- Describe the benefits of using a policy brief process
- Apply a process to write your own policy briefs
Do you know how the law contributed to motor vehicle safety, vaccination, or safer workplaces? Law reform or litigation has played a part in most of the greatest public health achievements in the 20th century. As public health professionals and leaders, understanding public health law and how to use it is essential to protecting the public's health. This 90-minute online course, drawn from the experience of public health officials and of lawyers who have worked with them, is designed to help public health leaders and professionals recognize legal issues, work effectively with legal counsel, and understand their legal responsibilities and authority. By the end, you will be able to use core concepts of public health law to more effectively protect the public's health while avoiding legal trouble.
Estimated time to complete: 1.5 hours
Public health law, whether in an emergency or in routine situations, is a balancing act between keeping the public healthy and protecting individual freedoms. Although we don't always think about it ahead of time, emergencies create unique legal circumstances for public health agencies and their staff. During emergencies, public health agencies need to know what powers public health officials will have, when they can request assistance from other jurisdictions, and how they will handle volunteers.
This online course is intended as an overview and introduction to public health law in emergency preparedness. It raises questions to consider in the planning and delivery of public health or healthcare services in large scale emergencies, across different jurisdictions. The content for this course was developed in partnership with the Network for Public Health Law Western Region Office at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, Arizona State University. It is part of a series of courses and resources funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to support public health law training.
Estimated time to complete: 1.5 hours
Food safety is a unique and critical role filled by public health agencies. In the event of a foodborne illness outbreak investigation, you may wonder what personal information is protected by privacy laws and what may be shared. You may also wonder about the source and scope of your public health authority to keep the public safe from foodborne illnesses.
This 1-hour course is an introduction to legal issues that arise in public health food safety, from surveillance and outbreak investigation through restaurant inspections and detention of food. The content for the course was developed in partnership with the Network for Public Health Law, whose Eastern Region Office contributed invaluable practical experience and knowledge.
Estimated time to complete: 1 hour
