Public Health Grand Rounds
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A Menu of Suggested
Provisions for
Public Health Mutual Aid Agreements
Definitions
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Descriptive Note
Parties to mutual aid agreements may find it useful to define key
terms. Some terms may in fact be defined by relevant statutes, ordinances,
regulations, or policies. In any event, terms defined in agreements
must be compliant with applicable laws, and carefully crafted to
accurately reflect the parties’ intent.
Optional sample provisions
- Emergency: A natural or manmade event that is, or
is likely to be, beyond the control of the services, personnel,
equipment, and facilities of a Party to this Agreement.
- Health data: Written, electronic, oral, telephone,
or visual information, identifiable or population based, that
relates to an individual’s or population’s past, present or
future physical or mental health status, condition, treatment,
service or products purchased and includes, but is not limited
to, laboratory test data or samples.
- Identifiable data or information: Specific to an
individual and may include elements such as demographic information,
address, date of birth, etc. Data or information is "identifiable"
if it directly identifies an individual or there is a reasonable
basis to believe it could be used to identify an individual.
Information may also be "identifiable" if it meets the definition
as contained in an applicable law. This type of information
is defined by applicable federal, provincial and state laws
and the definitions in those laws may vary from jurisdiction
to jurisdiction.
- Infectious disease agent: The causative agent of
an illness or health condition that may trigger reporting requirements
or requests under the governing law or regulations of any of
the signatories’ jurisdictions or of the Governments of the
United States or Canada or implementation of public health protection
measures and/or emergency response procedures.
- Mutual aid: Aid to another public health agency in
the form of personnel, equipment, facilities, services, supplies,
or other resources appropriate to public health programs, including
but not limited to inspections; vaccination clinics; centers
for the distribution of pharmaceuticals; administrative assistance;
specimen collection, conveyance, and testing; consulting; environmental
assessment; and other programs.
- Party: A governmental entity or agency that has adopted
and executed the Agreement.
- Public health emergency: An occurrence or condition
within a Party’s jurisdiction which results in a situation of
such magnitude or consequence that it cannot be adequately handled
by the Party such that the Party determines the necessity and
advisability of requesting mutual aid, including but not limited
to, bioterrorism or terrorism events, outbreaks or release of
dangerously contagious or infectious disease, infectious agents,
chemical agents, or toxins, natural disasters, technological
hazards, man-made disasters, civil emergencies, community disorders,
insurgency, enemy attack, or other public health emergencies
that possess the high probability of death, long-term disability,
or substantial future harm in the affected population.
- Public health event: An occurrence or imminent threat
of an illness, communicable disease or health condition with
the potential for cross-border implications that could trigger
implementation of emergency health response procedures or reporting
requirements or requests under the governing law or regulations
of any of the signatories’ jurisdictions or of the Governments
of the United States or Canada.
- Requesting Party (alternatively, "Receiving Agency" or
"Recipient"): A Party that requests assistance from other
Parties.
- Responding Party (alternatively, "Sending Agency" or
"Provider"): A Party that provides assistance to a requesting
Party.
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