sharon sanders
Editor-in-Chief & President
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][SIZE=-1]Government, Politics, and Law [/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=+2]Mutual Aid Agreements: Essential Legal Tools for Public Health Preparedness and Response [/SIZE]
<NOBR>Daniel D. Stier <SUP>1</SUP><SUP>*</SUP></NOBR> <NOBR>Richard A. Goodman <SUP>1</SUP></NOBR>
[SIZE=-1]<SUP>1</SUP> Public Health Law Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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[SIZE=-1]<SUP>*</SUP> To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: dstier@cdc.gov<SCRIPT type=text/javascript><!-- var u = "dstier", d = "cdc.gov"; document.getElementById("em0").innerHTML = '<a href="mailto:' + u + '@' + d + '">' + u + '@' + d + '<\/a>'//--></SCRIPT> . [/SIZE]
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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" bgColor=#e1e1e1><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=center align=left width="5%" bgColor=#ffffff>
</TD><TH vAlign=center align=left width="95%">[SIZE=+2] Abstract[/SIZE]</TH></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Mutual aid is the sharing of supplies, equipment, personnel,<SUP> </SUP>and information across political boundaries. States must have<SUP> </SUP>agreements in place to ensure mutual aid to facilitate effective<SUP> </SUP>responses to public health emergencies and to detect and control<SUP> </SUP>potential infectious disease outbreaks. The 2005 hurricanes<SUP> </SUP>triggered activation of the Emergency Management Assistance<SUP> </SUP>Compact (EMAC), a mutual aid agreement among the 50 states,<SUP> </SUP>the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.<SUP> </SUP>Although EMAC facilitated the movement of an unprecedented amount<SUP> </SUP>of mutual aid to disaster areas, inadequacies in the response<SUP> </SUP>demonstrated a need for improvement. Mutual aid may also be<SUP> </SUP>beneficial in circumstances where EMAC is not activated. We<SUP> </SUP>discuss the importance of mutual aid, examine obstacles, and<SUP> </SUP>identify legal "gaps" that must be filled to strengthen preparedness.
<SUP></SUP>
Key Words: Health Law </VARDEF>
full pdf:
http://www.ajph.org/cgi/reprint/AJPH.2006.101626v1
[SIZE=+2]Mutual Aid Agreements: Essential Legal Tools for Public Health Preparedness and Response [/SIZE]
<NOBR>Daniel D. Stier <SUP>1</SUP><SUP>*</SUP></NOBR> <NOBR>Richard A. Goodman <SUP>1</SUP></NOBR>
[SIZE=-1]<SUP>1</SUP> Public Health Law Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]<SUP>*</SUP> To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: dstier@cdc.gov<SCRIPT type=text/javascript><!-- var u = "dstier", d = "cdc.gov"; document.getElementById("em0").innerHTML = '<a href="mailto:' + u + '@' + d + '">' + u + '@' + d + '<\/a>'//--></SCRIPT> . [/SIZE]
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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" bgColor=#e1e1e1><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=center align=left width="5%" bgColor=#ffffff>
Mutual aid is the sharing of supplies, equipment, personnel,<SUP> </SUP>and information across political boundaries. States must have<SUP> </SUP>agreements in place to ensure mutual aid to facilitate effective<SUP> </SUP>responses to public health emergencies and to detect and control<SUP> </SUP>potential infectious disease outbreaks. The 2005 hurricanes<SUP> </SUP>triggered activation of the Emergency Management Assistance<SUP> </SUP>Compact (EMAC), a mutual aid agreement among the 50 states,<SUP> </SUP>the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.<SUP> </SUP>Although EMAC facilitated the movement of an unprecedented amount<SUP> </SUP>of mutual aid to disaster areas, inadequacies in the response<SUP> </SUP>demonstrated a need for improvement. Mutual aid may also be<SUP> </SUP>beneficial in circumstances where EMAC is not activated. We<SUP> </SUP>discuss the importance of mutual aid, examine obstacles, and<SUP> </SUP>identify legal "gaps" that must be filled to strengthen preparedness.
<SUP></SUP>
Key Words: Health Law </VARDEF>
full pdf:
http://www.ajph.org/cgi/reprint/AJPH.2006.101626v1