Abstract

It has now been 10 years since the framework for public health legal preparedness was put forth as a model to meet new public health challenges in the 21st century. Public health legal preparedness is defined as the “attainment by a public health system of specified legal of standards essential to the preparedness of the public health system.” The framework has continued to develop over time and four core elements have emerged to make up the basis for public health legal preparedness. The four core elements are: laws and legal authorities; competency in using laws effectively and wisely; coordination of legally based interventions across jurisdictions and sectors; and information on public health laws and best practices.