Recouping the Costs of Outbreak Investigations and Prevention

Marler Clark associate attorney Dave Babcock wrote an article on whether Environmental Health Agencies and Health Departments should seek reimbursement for costs involved in outbreak investigations and prevention in an article for the January/February 2006 Journal of Environmental Health. In the article, he addresses two key issues that influence a public health agency's decision to seek reimbursement: Replenishing the agency's budget to continue its primary functions and the fear that seeking reimbursement could lead to decreased cooperation from the entity responsible for the outbreak.