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MONROE COLLEGE

SCHOOL OF ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONS

Course Number: PH 111

Course Name: Introduction to Public Health I

CHAPTER 3

POWERS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF GOVERNMENT

1

After reading this chapter, students in PH 111 course should be able to:

• Describe the Branches of Government

• Describe Local, state and federal Public Health Agencies

• Identify Nongovernmental Public Health Organizations

• Identify Philanthropic Foundations

The above will be demonstrated by completing and submitting the assignments and by

participating in the discussion(s) assigned to this chapter.

MAJOR THEMES

1. Governments ultimately have the responsibility for public health. The primary authority for

health is reserved to the states; however the federal government uses some provisions of the

Constitution to justify a significant role in public health. The division of authority between

federal and state governments is sometimes disputed and must be settled by the courts.

2. Governments have police powers to enforce compliance with public health laws, if necessary,

to prevent a person from harming others, to promote the common good, and, in some cases, to

prevent a person from harming himself or herself.

Chapter Objectives

MONROE COLLEGE

SCHOOL OF ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONS

Course Number: PH 111

Course Name: Introduction to Public Health I

CHAPTER 3

POWERS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF GOVERNMENT

2

3. At any level of government, laws and regulations are determined through the actions and

interactions of legislative, executive, and judicial branches.

4. Much of the work of public health is done by agencies at various levels of government. At the

local level, county health departments have an important

role; large cities may have a municipal health department. Most states have

state health departments, which have the major responsibility for the health and safety of the

population. The federal government has a number of important public health agencies,

including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the

Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Occupational

Safety and Health Administration.

5. Nongovernmental organizations also play an important role in public health.

IMPORTANT TERMS

police powers

public health agency

MONROE COLLEGE

SCHOOL OF ALLIED HEALTH PROFESSIONS

Course Number: PH 111

Course Name: Introduction to Public Health I

CHAPTER 3

POWERS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF GOVERNMENT

3

FURTHER READINGS AND WEB SITES

1. U.S. Institute of Medicine, The Future of the Public’s Health in the 21st Century (Washington,

DC: National Academy Press, 2003), Chapter 3

2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services web site: http://www.os.dhhs.gov/

Most public health agencies are at HHS website, but not EPA and OSHA.

3. State agencies have their own web sites, e.g., the New York State Department of Health web

site is www.health.state.ny.us

4. Most nongovernmental agencies also have web sites, which describe their missions and

activities.