Fact Pattern
You have been retained by Shady Pines Nursing Home as a public health law subject matter expert. The Executive Director, Harry Weston, has asked you to provide guidance to staff on public health law and how residents of Shady Pines can best be served should something like a Covid emergency happen again. Harry craves information and wants a full understanding of public health law, “top to bottom.” He believes that by having a better understanding of what duties the government has, he can better understand his duty to protect the residents of Shady Pines. Harry cares about his residents and knows that many of them may not be in a position to protect themselves. Therefore, he has asked for your help.
Questions
To satisfy Harry’s need for a complete understanding of the government’s role in public health, please prepare a 2-3 page memorandum to Harry. Your memorandum will serve as the basis for comprehensive introduction to what will eventually become a post-covid policy and procedure manual for Shady Pines. Your memorandum should:
- Explain the role of federal, state, and local government in public health, including the duties, powers, and limits of each.
- Additionally, provide Harry with a detailed explanation of 2 public health tools that he and his Director of Nursing, Rose Nyland, may be asked to implement in some fashion, should another easily transmittable disease outbreak occur.