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33 J.L. Med. & Ethics 11 (2005)
Public Health is for the Public Good: So Why Do You Get No Respect

handle is hein.journals/medeth33 and id is 883 raw text is: Public Health is for the Public Good:
So Why Do You Get No Respect?
Risa Lavizzo-Mourey

t is a pleasure - and a real honor - to be here
among so many friends. Now I am not going to
presume that I am preaching to the choir. But I
do believe that we share a passion for protecting and
improving the health of America that our philanthro-
py and public health and the law are, indeed, singing
the same tune, and, more often than not, singing in
the same key.
To this physician, philanthropy, public health, and
the law are partners on the same path. I am excited
about where that path is taking us - and where,
together, we are taking the health and safety of the
American people. This afternoon I want to share with
you my perspective about how similar our missions
really are and how, together, we can strengthen the
public health system, harness the power of public
opinion, and literally transform our society - for the
better.
This lecture is named for Gene Matthews - who so
cheerfully bears the burden of being a living legend to
many of us in public health and in the law. This is a
field that can utterly exhaust even the best of us. But
Gene has been thriving on the toughest public health
challenges for more than a quarter of a century. He lit-
erally invented the discipline of population health and
the law. Gene has witnessed first-hand the public
health emergencies that define our times: AIDS,
anthrax, West Nile virus, and SARS. But Gene's true
legacy is how the law and public health today are so
inextricably connected. How the law has become the
rock-solid foundation of the practice of public health.
And how the power of the law helps us protect the
public's health in ways that are equitable, ethical, and
lasting. Here is one example fresh from the headlines
that tell us how much we really are partners on the
same path - even when it takes us to Anchorage.

Last month the Governor of Alaska signed into law
a top-to-bottom rewrite of that state's public health
law. The legislation's based on the model public health
law statute so many of you worked on as part of our
Turning Point public health collaborative. It is hard
to believe, isn't it, but Turning Point's ten years old.
From the beginning, our aim was to transform the
public health system by strengthening its infrastruc-
ture, developing its leadership, and building out its
connections to the broader business, health care, and
faith communities. And to think we thought public
health was in bad shape then! It seemed inconceivable
that round after round of shifting political priorities
and devastating budget cuts would weaken the system
even more. Let me tell you - if Turning Point did not
already exist, we would have to invent it all over again.
Alaska's a good example why. The state's capacity to
meet emerging health threats was held back by a
hodgepodge of outdated laws far better suited to the
days of the Yukon gold rush than the 21st century.
Enter Turning Point's Alaska team, led by Deb
Erickson of Alaska's Division of Public Health.
Thanks to their relentless advocacy - and Turning
Point's model statute - the state now has new public
health laws and badly-needed tools, like mandated
quarantines to stop the spread of infectious diseases.
Nationwide, public health agencies and community
organizations in 21 states are partners in Turning
Point collaborations. They are: (1) developing leaders
with a stronger sense of accountability to the public;
(2) improving the skills and competencies of public
health practitioners; (3) bringing on-line better infor-
mation technologies; (4) and motivating individuals
and communities to lead healthier lives.
This is basic, get-the-job done kind of work. In
Nebraska, for example, Turning Point helped the state

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT * THE PUBLIC'S HEALTH AND THE LAW IN THE 21ST CENTURY

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