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What Legal Powers Do Health Departments Have? Overview of Administrative Law: Part 1 — for Facilitators

Tools for Public Health Law Academy trainers

Curriculum
Good Governance

This collection of tools supports anyone interested in teaching public health practitioners about administrative law and its effects on public health. These tools are part of the Public Health Law Academy, which provides a deeper understanding of the use of law and policy to improve population health outcomes. 

Start with Part 1 of our training on administrative law: What Legal Powers Do Health Departments Have? Then download and tailor the following resources for your specific audience:

  • Facilitator's Checklist
  • Facilitator's Guide, which provides instructions on how to customize this training for your audience
  • Facilitator's Script, which can be modified for your audience and speakers
  • Slide Presentation, which can be adapted to your unique training content

About This Training

This free training — Part 1 of our three-part series on administrative law — uses examples from real life to illustrate the legal principles that guide administrative agencies as they carry out their duties.

Health departments are authorized to implement and enforce a multitude of public health laws that regulate the actions of individuals and private entities. Due to the broad reach of their authority and the risk that they will infringe on individuals’ civil rights, it’s critical for public health practitioners to apply key principles and rules of administrative law in order to shape equitable health outcomes.

Learning Objectives

Instructors can tailor these training materials to achieve the following learning objectives:

  • Define administrative law concepts that frame the everyday practice of public health
  • Describe how health departments can work within the guidelines of administrative law to shape equitable health outcomes
  • Describe what administrative agencies are, what they do, and what legal powers they have
  • Discuss why administrative law is important for health departments and population health outcomes
  • Understand the limits on public health departments' powers

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