Hodge James G, Gostin Lawrence O, Gebbie Kristine, Erickson Deborah L
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
J Law Med Ethics. 2006 Spring;34(1):77-84. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-720X.2006.00010.x.
Law is an essential tool for improving public health infrastructure and outcomes; however, existing state statutory public health laws may be insufficient. Built over decades in response to various diseases/conditions, public health laws are antiquated, divergent, and confusing. The Turning Point Public Health Statute Modernization National Collaborative addressed the need for public health law reform by producing a comprehensive model state act. The Act provides scientifically, ethically, and legally sound provisions on public health infrastructure, powers, duties, and practice. This article examines (1) how statutory law can be a tool for improving the public's health, (2) existing needs for public health law reform, (3) themes and provisions of the Turning Point Act, and (4) how it is being used by public health practitioners.
法律是改善公共卫生基础设施和成果的重要工具;然而,现有的州法定公共卫生法律可能并不充分。公共卫生法律是在几十年间为应对各种疾病/状况而制定的,已过时、相互矛盾且令人困惑。转折点公共卫生法规现代化全国协作组织通过制定一部全面的模范州法案,满足了公共卫生法律改革的需求。该法案在公共卫生基础设施、权力、职责和实践方面提供了科学、道德和法律上合理的规定。本文探讨了(1)成文法如何能够成为改善公众健康的工具,(2)公共卫生法律改革的现有需求,(3)转折点法案的主题和规定,以及(4)公共卫生从业者如何使用该法案。