Partners in public health law: elected officials, health directors, and attorneys.

The partnership that has developed over the years between elected officials, health directors, and attorneys came about through necessity and practicality. This article examines this partnership and some of the conflicts and problems it contains. The article discusses the problems of overlap of authority between public health departments and elected officials. It also emphasizes that existing laws and regulations often provide sufficiently flexible authority, and that such laws and regulations can be exercised in new ways to address current public health problems. The article concludes with a discussion of the challenges faced by public health officials and legislators in forming a partnership to secure necessary financial support and legal authority for public health activities.