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Mary E. Northridge, PhD, MPH, Editor-in-Chief

We begin this issue on "Policies and Programs to Advance Public Health" with several calls for deeper understanding of the social, historical, and environmental contexts of people’s lives to more effectively meet their particular needs, including Borrell’s conceptual model of racial identity to better understand the health implications among diverse Hispanic subgroups and Nemoto and colleagues’ efforts to create a safe space for providing transgender women with tailored health education.

As I write this column, an undersea earthquake has just sent tsunamis crashing into the heavily populated shorelines of more than 10 countries in Asia and East Africa. While the extent of the devastation is only beginning to be known, the urgency of the unprecedented relief effort needed to stave off disease and homelessness among the survivors is palpable around the world. Health and sanitation programs are sorely needed to relieve both short-and long-term suffering in myriad affected communities. Better disaster preparedness policies may help prevent future catastrophes or at the very least limit their terrible tolls.

In the effort to create effective policies and programs to address social disparities in health, allies outside the health sector are crucial. Those in the law profession are highlighted here. For the first time in the Journal’s 95-year history, 2 members of the editorial team are lawyers: Sofia Gruskin, JD, MIA, who covers health and human rights, and Stewart J. Landers, JD, MCP, who covers lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender health.

The dramatic declines in youth smoking accelerated by the truth campaign (see Farrelly et al. in this issue) were made possible through years of advocacy by the public health community that resulted in the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA). The MSA resolved lawsuits filed by attorneys general in 46 states and 5 US territories against the tobacco industry. While the MSA largely concerned states’ health expenses, lawsuits on other important topics (e.g., consumer fraud) are ongoing in many states. The Citizens’ Commission to Protect the Truth—which includes all the former US secretaries of health, former US surgeons general, and former directors of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—has been formed to help ensure the continuation of the truth campaign by advocating for its sustained financial support through the Public Education Fund now that the legal mandate has passed (see http://www.protectthetruth.org).

The effectiveness of lawyers in advancing public health is evidenced by Volunteers of Legal Service (VOLS), an initiative created 20 years ago by the Association of the Bar of the City of New York following massive cutbacks in federal funding for legal services for the poor. VOLS identifies areas of legal need, creates projects to meet these needs, and recruits and trains lawyers to provide the necessary legal services. According to Yvonne Pradier of Harlem Hospital Center, "As the social worker who is constantly in touch with the patients, [I know] they are appreciative of the legal assistance provided to them." The firm of LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae has been invaluable to her in addressing complex family needs involving housing, immigration, disability, and child welfare. And Marc Crawford Leavitt, JD—a partner of Leavitt, Kerson & Duane—is a member of the Oral Health for Older Americans Program of the School of Dental and Oral Surgery of Columbia University, an interdisciplinary team that is working to promote oral health and health care for our nation’s seniors. To sum it up in a bumper-sticker phrase, "It Takes Lawyers to Deliver Health Care."

This Article Extract Full Text (PDF) Submit a response View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Web of Science (1) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Northridge, M. E. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Northridge, M. E. Related Collections Health Law