title: Addressing gaps in health care sector legal preparedness for public health emergencies.
abstract: Health care providers and their legal counsel play pivotal roles in preparing for and responding to public health emergencies. Lawyers representing hospitals, health systems, and other health care provider components are being called upon to answer complex legal questions regarding public health preparedness issues that most providers have not previously faced. Many of these issues are legal issues with which public health officials should be familiar, and that can serve as a starting point for cross-sector legal preparedness planning involving both the public health and health care communities. This article examines legal issues that health care providers face in preparing for public health emergencies, and steps that providers, their legal counsel, and others can take to address those issues and to strengthen community preparedness.
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd, MS D 30, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. mransom@cdc.gov
authors.forename: Montrece McNeill
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Ransom
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Goodman
authors.forename: Anthony D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Moulton
mesh_terms: D004189:Disaster Planning; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D019981:Health Care Sector / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006758:Hospital Volunteers / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D011634:Public Health; D017751:Safety Management / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D014481:United States