外文出处:Legal Framework for Public Health By Sarah A. Lister March 17, 2005
Public health practice is governed by federal, state, and local law. The federal government can influence public health practice through its funding decisions and by exercising its jurisdiction over interstate commerce. However, most public health authority rests with the states. This section will review the legal authorities of federal, state, and local governments in public health.
Most public health authority is based in the states, as an exercise of their police powers.6 States use this authority in a number of ways to protect public health, from enforcing safety and sanitary codes, to conducting inspections, to mandating the reporting of certain diseases to state authorities, to compelling isolation or quarantine, to licensing healthcare workers and facilities. Local governments are often responsible for some of these activities, using powers largely derived from delegation of state authority. Since states are the basis for most authority in public health, the traditional relationship of state and federal agencies has placed states in a leading role, with CDC providing support through funding, training, and technical assistance, advanced laboratory support and data analysis, and other activities. ………………