One of the most significant legal challenges in public health policy and practice is how to strike the balance between patient privacy and protection of the public’s health. In this installment of Law and the Public’s Health, New Hampshire public health officials discuss the delicate balancing act they confronted in seeking patient medical records without specific patient consent during a hepatitis C outbreak.
Now available online prior to print publication, Law and the Public’s Health is a regular department of Public Health Reports explores emerging issues in public health law and policy.
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The official journal of the U.S. Public Health Service and the U.S. Surgeon General since 1878, PHR serves as an informative and accessible resource for practitioners, professors, scholars, and students of public health. Published in collaboration with the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH), the bi-monthly, peer-reviewed journal provides important research and presents key discussions on the major issues confronting the public health community. For full access to current content, visit the Public Health Reports website to subscribe.
*Daly E, Herrick J, Maynard E, Montero J, Adamski C, Dionne-Odom J, Talbot E, Alroy-Preis S. Taken to Court: Defending Public Health Authority to Access Medical Records During an Outbreak Investigation. Public Health Rep 2015 May-June [Epub ahead of print].