Public Health Law: Past & Present — for Facilitators

This collection of tools supports anyone interested in teaching public health practitioners how to use the tools of law and policy most effectively — within the parameters of the US Constitution — to achieve their public health goals. This facilitator package is offered through the Public Health Law Academy, which provides free trainings to help public health practitioners deepen their understanding of the use of law and policy to improve population health outcomes.

Start with our Public Health Law: Past & Present training, then download and tailor the following resources for your specific audience:

• Facilitator's checklist
• Facilitator's guide, which can be customized for your community
• 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 public health law “101” training starts by defining key terms and describing why law and policy are important vehicles for public health interventions. Next, it explores several examples of historical events that helped shape the practice of public health today. The training then discusses how law and policy can contribute to today's health inequities or be leveraged to address these inequities. Finally, it examines who has the power to shape public policy to improve public health and the scope and limitations of that authority. 

Learning Objectives

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

• Define what public health is and explain why it is important
• Examine how legal history has shaped today’s public health practice
• Explore how law and policy affect health equity
• Identify who holds the power to make public health law and policy
• Discuss constitutional limitations on public health powers