Describe the Branches of Government
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.
http://www.os.dhhs.gov/
http://www.health.state.ny.us/
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