Digital Commons Network^™

Masking Vulnerability: Including Ppe As A Covered Service In Health Insurance, Mary Leto Pareja

Faculty Scholarship

The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the shared vulnerability inherent in the human condition, prompting a collective recognition of our physical susceptibility to infectious diseases. While great strides have been made in combating COVID-19 through vaccinations and treatments, a portion of the population remains profoundly vulnerable due to health conditions that make the disease more dangerous, that limit vaccine efficacy, or that prevent vaccination altogether. This article explores a path forward by proposing a solution within health benefit plans—encompassing both private health insurance and public health benefits. Specifically, the article advocates for a coverage mandate for over-the-counter personal protective equipment (PPE) …

Guardianship Before And Following Hospitalization, Jennifer Sullivan, Andrew B. Cohen, Kelly Stolzmann, Elizabeth J. Auguste, Casey C. Catlin, Zachary S. Sager, Rachel E. Weiskittle, Cindy B. Woolverton, Heather L. Connors

Publications

When ethics committees are consulted about patients who have or need court appointed guardians, they lack empirical evidence about several common issues, including the relationship between guardianship and prolonged, potentially medically unnecessary hospitalizations for patients. To provide information about this issue, we conducted quantitative and qualitative analyses using a retrospective cohort from Veterans Healthcare Administration. To examine the relationship between guardianship appointment and hospital length of stay, we first compared 116 persons hospitalized prior to guardianship appointment to a comparison group (n=348) 3:1 matched for age, diagnosis, date of admission, and comorbidity. We then compared 91 persons hospitalized in the …

Pachamama Over People And Profit: A Case For Indigenous Ecology And Environmental Personhood, Hilda Loury

American Indian Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Post-Dobbs Abortion Bans On Prenatal Tort Claims, Aviva K. Diamond

Michigan Law Review

In June 2022, the Supreme Court revoked Americans’ fundamental right to abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. However, the Court said nothing about how its decision would impact tort claims related to reproductive care. Many states have since adopted near-total or early-gestational- age abortion bans, which has not only diminished access to reproductive care, but has also incidentally impaired the ability of plaintiffs to bring long-recognized prenatal tort claims. Prenatal tort claims—wrongful pregnancy, birth, and life—allow victims to recover when a medical professional negligently performs reproductive or prenatal care. This Note identifies the impact that post-Dobbs …

Gender Dynamics In The Management Care Of Internally Displaced Persons: The Boko Haram Insurgency, Evelyn Kikelomo Ikuenobe Otaigbe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Boko Haram asymmetric insurgency and warfare have decimated the Northeastern region of Nigeria and its neighboring environs of Chad, Niger, and Benin. The purpose of this study was to explore the peculiar socioethnic and cultural challenges encountered by female victims of Boko Haram terrorism at internally displaced persons camps in Abuja, Nigeria, including challenges in functioning, relocating, and acclimating back into society. A phenomenological approach was applied to understand participants’ lived experiences. Data collection occurred through interviews and observation. Data analysis involved the synthesis of narratives, and generation of themes. Among the emergent themes were poor feeding; lack of …

The Remains Of The Establishment Clause, Ira C. Lupu, Robert W. Tuttle

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

The very first words of the Bill of Rights mark religion as constitutionally distinctive. Congress may not enact laws respecting an establishment of religion – in particular, acts of worship, religious instruction, or proselytizing. A pluralist, liberal democracy requires separation of civil government from these distinctively religious activities.

From the middle of the 20 th Century until Justice O’Connor’s retirement in 2005, the Supreme Court energetically animated that principle of distinctiveness. In a series of decisions in the last decade, however, the Court has upended its longstanding approach to what is distinctive about religion in constitutional law. Notably, this process …

Is There A Fundamental Right To Privacy When An Educational Institution Requires A Student To Disclose Proof Of His Or Her Vaccination Status?, Mary D. Fatscher

Touro Law Review

In 2020, the coronavirus disease (“COVID-19”) dominated the world. Although the public has progressively become more informed about the disease and how to safeguard itself, challenges persist as there is still much unknown. Aside from wearing masks, social distancing, and despite its undetermined consequences, the COVID-19 vaccination has emerged as a primary solution to substantially reducing the incidence and severity of the virus in our country. Many COVID-19 vaccine mandates were initiated once three pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies including Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson received Emergency Use Authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”).

Gender Dynamics In The Management Care Of Internally Displaced Persons: The Boko Haram Insurgency, Evelyn Kikelomo Ikuenobe Otaigbe

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The Boko Haram asymmetric insurgency and warfare have decimated the Northeastern region of Nigeria and its neighboring environs of Chad, Niger, and Benin. The purpose of this study was to explore the peculiar socioethnic and cultural challenges encountered by female victims of Boko Haram terrorism at internally displaced persons camps in Abuja, Nigeria, including challenges in functioning, relocating, and acclimating back into society. A phenomenological approach was applied to understand participants’ lived experiences. Data collection occurred through interviews and observation. Data analysis involved the synthesis of narratives, and generation of themes. Among the emergent themes were poor feeding; lack of …

The Department Of Transportation’S Failures In Regulating Emotional Support Animals, Jillian Doughty

Journal of Air Law and Commerce

In the past decade, the number of emotional support animals being used to treat a wide array of mental and emotional disorders has multiplied exponentially. This increase has been met with mixed reactions in the context of air travel. While some passengers are thrilled to sit next to a dog on their flight, others are frustrated due to the belief passengers with emotional support animals are exploiting a loophole to travel with their pet for free. Regardless of the differing perceptions, emotional support animals are a valid, affordable way to treat mental health illnesses without incurring negative side effects associated …

A Comparative Analysis Of Medical Malpractice Law In Telemedicine Between Thailand And Germany, Surusvadee Viravud

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

ในประเทศไทยและเยอรมนี การแพทย์ทางไกลได้กลายเป็นส่วนสำคัญในการดูแลสุขภาพของประชาชนทั่วไป การบริการทางการแพทย์นี้มีความสำคัญอย่างยิ่งหลังการแพร่ระบาดของโรคโควิด-19 ไปทั่วโลก การบริการการแพทย์ทางไกลมีประโยชน์หลายประการทั้งการเข้าถึงการบริการด้านสุขภาพที่เพิ่มมากขึ้น ตลอดจนส่งเสริมความสามารถในการให้บริการด้านสุขภาพของผู้ให้บริการทางการแพทย์ อย่างไรก็ตาม การแพทย์ทางไกลได้ก่อให้เกิดความท้าทายทางด้านกฎหมาย โดยเฉพาะประเด็นที่เกี่ยวข้องกับเรื่องการทุรเวชปฏิบัติทางการแพทย์ทางไกลโดยเจ้าหน้าที่ทางการแพทย์และผู้ให้บริการการแพทย์ทางไกลซึ่งมีรูปแบบและลักษณะแตกต่างจากการให้บริการทางการแพทย์แบบดั้งเดิมปัจจุบัน การให้บริการการแพทย์ทางไกลโดยแพทย์ที่ได้รับใบอนุญาตนั้นจะต้องทำตามหลักเกณฑ์ตามประกาศแพทยสภา ฉบับที่ 54/2563 ซึ่งได้กำหนดความหมายของคำว่า “การแพทย์ทางไกล" ไว้เป็นการเฉพาะ และยังปรากฏว่ามีออกประกาศกระทรวงสาธารณสุขเรื่องมาตรฐานสำหรับสถานพยาบาลที่ใช้ระบบบริการการแพทย์ทางไกล พ.ศ. 2564 เพื่อกำกับดูแลการให้บริการการแพทย์ทางไกลของผู้ให้บริการสถานพยาบาล อย่างไรก็ตาม ยังไม่ปรากฏว่ามีกฎหมายที่เกี่ยวข้องกับการเรียกค่าสินไหมทดแทนจากทุรเวชปฏิบัติด้านการแพทย์ทางไกลไว้โดยเฉพาะเจาะจง การบาดเจ็บที่เกิดจากการกระทำทุรเวชปฏิบัติทางการแพทย์ที่เกิดขึ้นในกรณีการแพทย์ทางไกลจะอยู่ภายใต้มาตรา 420 ของประมวลกฎหมายแพ่งและพาณิชย์ของประเทศไทย เช่นเดียวกับกรณีการกระทำทุรเวชปฏิบัติทางการแพทย์เช่นเดียวกับการแพทย์แบบดั้งเดิมงานวิจัยนี้พบว่าภาระการพิสูจน์ของผู้ที่ได้รับบาดเจ็บภายใต้กรอบของกฎหมายการละเมิดทั่วไป ส่งผลให้ผู้ที่รับบริการการแพทย์ทางไกลมีภาระในการพิสูจน์เช่นว่านี้มากเกินสมควร เมื่อเปรียบเทียบกับระบบกฎหมายไทย ระบบกฎหมายของประเทศเยอรมนีได้สร้างกลไกที่เป็นระบบมาใช้เพื่อช่วยให้ผู้ให้บริการการแพทย์ทางไกลมีความรับผิดชอบต่อการบาดเจ็บนั้นมากขึ้นและคุ้มครองฝ่ายผู้รับบริการได้มากขึ้นในกรณีทุรเวชปฏิบัติในกิจการการแพทย์ทางไกล โดยงานวิจัยนี้มุ่งเน้นไปที่การเปรียบเทียบแนวปฏิบัติของศาลเกี่ยวกับกรณีทุรเวชปฏิบัติทางการแพทย์ระหว่างประเทศไทยและเยอรมนี และชี้ให้เห็นความแตกต่างและประเด็นที่อาจนำเอามาปรับปรุง แนวทางการปฏิบัติของศาลเยอรมนีเป็นตัวอย่างหนึ่งของแนวทางที่ครอบคลุมและแสดงออกถึงการใช้กลไกทางกฎหมายที่ซับซ้อนเพื่อรับรองความปลอดภัยของผู้ป่วยผู้รับบริการและสร้างความรับผิดชอบให้แก่ผู้ให้บริการเพื่อจัดการกับความท้าทายทางกฎหมายในด้านการแพทย์ทางไกล ประเทศไทยสามารถนำแนวทางปฏิบัติจากกรอบกฎหมายของประเทศเยอรมนีมาปรับใช้เพื่อลดภาระการพิสูจน์สำหรับผู้ป่วยและรับรองความรับผิดของผู้ให้บริการด้านการแพทย์ทางไกล เพื่อส่งเสริมความปลอดภัยของผู้ป่วยผู้รับบริการและการรักษาสิทธิของผู้ป่วยในกรณีที่อาจมีการเรียกร้องค่าเสียหายจากการรักษาพยาบาลของผู้ให้บริการการแพทย์ทางไกลในประเทศไทย และเพื่อรับประกันความปลอดภัยและความเป็นอยู่ที่ดีของผู้ป่วยผู้รับบริการการแพทย์ทางไกลในประเทศไทยมากกว่าปัจจุบัน

The Major Questions Doctrine And The Threat To Regulating Emerging Technologies, Johnson, Walter G., Tournas, Lucille M.

Santa Clara High Technology Law Journal

Emerging technologies offer the potential to improve health and quality of life but also pose notable risks to safety, wellbeing, and equity. Law and technology scholarship posits that robust policy and regulatory strategies in the public interest are required to manage these complex benefits, risks, and uncertainties. At the same time, the Supreme Court in its recent jurisprudence appears eager to revitalize nondelegation legal norms, especially through the major questions doctrine—a shifting administrative law doctrine that increasingly appears to act as a clear statement rule when interpreting statutory grants of authority to regulatory agencies. This article argues the major questions …

Australian Highlevel Public Policy Preparedness For Population-Based Triage During The Pandemic, Zachary Horn, Lily Gapp Duckett, Kaitlin Webber

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The COVID-19 pandemic brought attention to scarce clinical resource allocation via secondary population-based triage (S-PBT) throughout the international healthcare community. Experiences overseas highlighted the importance of coordinated and consistent approaches to allocating resources when facing overwhelming demand, particularly for critical care. Noting the importance of consistency and the system of devolved governance deployed in Australia, this study aimed to identify and analyse sources of high-level policy that affect Australia’s health system preparedness for the operationalisation of S-PBT. Of the 39 documents reviewed, 17 contained potential references to S-PBT. There was a lack of clear recommendations and guidance to inform S-PBT …

Perceptions Of Florida Victim Advocates During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Katarina Renee Hamburg

Theses and Dissertations

In December of 2019, a new virus known as COVID-19 emerged out of Wuhan, China. COVID-19 is a respiratory virus which is highly contagious and, in some cases, lethal. By January 20th, 2020, the United States reported its first case of COVID-19. Between January and December of 2020 there were 18.7 million cases and 329,000 deaths in the United States alone. Globally, during that time frame, there were 79.8 million cases and 1.75 million deaths. Due to the highly contagious and dangerous nature of COVID-19, countries across the world have attempted to promote public health by enacting social distancing measures. …

Human Trafficking: The Impact Of Covid-19 On Labor Trafficking In The Us, Anthony A. Mottola

Theses and Dissertations

Human trafficking is a global phenomenon where traffickers prey upon their victims without discriminating against age, gender, ethnic background, or nationality. The United States (US) is not immune to the human rights violations of human trafficking. The victims of human trafficking are coerced into a life of exploitation through forced labor or sexual exploitation. Many victims are migrants from disadvantaged countries that travel to the US seeking employment but end up the victims of abuse, both physically and mentally, at the hands of traffickers. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic devastated the global economy, forcing quarantines, travel bans, and social distancing. …

From Smallpox To Covid-19: Social And Legal Responses To Vaccinations And Vaccine Mandates, Janet L. Dolgin

Hofstra Law Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Physicians Spreading Medical Misinformation: The Uneasy Case For Regulation, Richard S. Saver

Faculty Publications

Physicians have played a surprisingly prominent role in the current “infodemic” of false and misleading medical claims. Yet, state medical boards, the governmental agencies responsible for professional licensure and oversight, have sanctioned remarkably few physicians. Pushing back against the widespread criticism of medical boards for insufficient action, this Article questions the overall suitability of licensure regulation to police medical misinformation. First, uncertainty exists about medical boards’ jurisdiction and legal authority. Many misinformation claims have involved physicians communicating publicly, not while treating patients. Given the primarily patient-centered legal and ethical frameworks governing the practice of medicine, serious challenges arise in making …

Vaccine Law: Covid-19 Vaccine Mandates For University Students, Dorit R. Reiss

The Judges' Book

No abstract provided.

Restorative Justice Diversion As A Structural Health Intervention In The Criminal Legal System, Thalia Gonzalez

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Warrantying Health Equity, Heather Payne, Jennifer Oliva

Articles by Maurer Faculty

The United States is experiencing a significant rise in the prevalence of asthma and other debilitating respiratory and cardiovascular ailments that disproportionately burden low income and marginalized Americans. This is due in large measure to climate change, which is responsible for increasingly devastating air quality events—including wildfires and drought—that trigger these serious health conditions. As a result, it is imperative that we begin to explore potential legal and policy reforms that rein in sources of health-impairing air pollution.

The common law of property has long implied in residential leasing arrangements a warranty guaranteed by landlords to tenants that the premises …

A Picture Worth A Thousand Words: Factors Influencing Disability Accommodations, Alicia E. Martin

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Because not all disabilities look the same it is difficult to label a person with disabilities just by looking at them. Given that our knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions impact how we interpret our world and our willingness to act, people, including professors, may be biased toward providing accommodations for those with easily recognizable disabilities and biased against those with non-recognizable disabilities, and this may impact the disabled person’s ability to learn. This thesis aims to address whether professors’ disability-related attitudes, perceptions of accommodation reasonableness, and willingness to provide accommodations differ when the disability is recognizable (student is pictured in a …

The Psychology Of Science Denialism And Lessons For Public Health Authorities, Brenna Moreno, Molly J. Walker Wilson

All Faculty Scholarship

As it wreaked tragedy on the world, the outbreak of COVID-19 helped expose a pandemic of a different kind, one steeped in distrust and contrarianism. This movement, termed science denialism, has been lurking and undermining public health efforts for decades. Specifically, it is “the employment of rhetorical arguments to give the appearance of legitimate debate where there is none, an approach that has the ultimate goal of rejecting a proposition on which a scientific consensus exists.” Unlike skepticism, which is “doubt as to the truth of something” and works to progress both science and society, denialism is characterized by individuals’ …

Salus Populi: Educating Judges On The Social Determinants Of Health, Faith Khalik, Alisa Lincoln

Journal of Legal Education

No abstract provided.

The Cost Of Compassion: Why State Ballot Initiatives Complicate Farm Animal Welfare And Overlook The True Problems In Modern Agriculture, Seth Victor

Journal of Food Law & Policy

Farm animal welfare is a concern for many Americans, both among those who value a higher standard of care for the animals’ own sake, and those concerned with food safety. Industrial agriculture has become the dominant form of animal production to satiate a daunting demand for meat, eggs, and dairy products. Industrial animal-raising facilities, also known as concentrated animal feeding operations (“CAFOs”), prioritize volume and efficiency and are a key factor in keeping consumer prices low. CAFOs are highly specialized and excel at production by minimizing inputs, maximizing confined animals, and externalizing environmental costs. This production method comes at the …

Jail Health And Early Release Practices, Brandon L. Garrett, Deniz Ariturk, Jessica Carda-Auten, David L. Rosen

William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal

Local jails in the United States incarcerate millions of people each year. The COVID-19 pandemic made jail health a pressing public health concern nationally, where releasing individuals from jails occurred across the country in order to prevent pandemic spread. But releases also faced substantial resistance and exposed long-standing challenges in delivering adequate healthcare in jail settings. People in jail have substantially higher levels of medical need than individuals in the general population, with large numbers having serious mental illnesses and substance use disorders. Further, overcrowded conditions and poor healthcare standards and delivery make jails harmful to those already-vulnerable people. What …

Climate Change And Indigenous Groups: The Rise Of Indigenous Voices In Climate Litigation, Maria Antonia Tigre

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

Climate change’s pervasive human rights impacts on populations worldwide are widespread and now widely known. One avenue to address these human rights impacts is the growth of rights-based climate litigation. There are now hundreds of cases worldwide grounded on human rights claims. However, less attention has been brought to how vulnerable groups are disproportionally affected by climate change. Indigenous groups, in particular, are disproportionately affected by climate change due to their connection to their land and dependence on their ecosystems. To increase global attention and seek legal remedies to address how Indigenous communities are impacted by climate change, Indigenous groups …

Hepatitis C Treatment In Prisons: How The Sixth Circuit's Interpretation Of The Deliberate Indifference Standard Fails To Protect Healthcare Rights Under The Eighth Amendment, Katie M. Deangelis

North Carolina Law Review

No abstract provided.

Developing The Who's Pandemic Treaty To Facilitate Global Solidarity And International Accountability, Sonam K. Shah

North Carolina Law Review

No abstract provided.

Heat Waves And A Public-Private Partnership In Alaska, Karen Sandrik, Sarah Matsumoto

Alaska Law Review

The recently-passed Inflation Reduction Act represents the largest single step that Congress has taken to combat harms from climate change. In its over $360 billion commitment, the Act incentivizes clean energy development and generation, includes methods to directly lower residential utility bills and increase home efficiency, promotes cleaner transportation and agricultural practices, and funds states' and cities' efforts to meet their individual climate goals. While many environmental organizations applauded the Act's passage, some—even simultaneously—expressed concern about its tradeoffs: the Act continues to invest in fossil fuels, subsidizing pipeline construction and guaranteeing new oil and gas leases, specifically expanding leasing in …

A New Feudalism: Selfish Genes, Great Wealth, And The Rise Of The Dynastic Family Trust (Dft), Eric Kades

Faculty Publications

Today’s record levels of economic inequality are infecting our future as the top 0.01% bequeath vast wealth to their descendants. With the death of the Rule Against Perpetuities (RAP), this inequality has the potential to harden social class lines—not just for a generation or two, but forever. Although it may sound implausible, interviews with estate lawyers serving very high-net-worth clients reveal that some members of the wealthiest tier of testators are already exploiting the RAP’s elimination, along with a tax loophole, to establish dynasty trusts that will financially empower their bloodline as long as it continues. Recent work in evolutionary …

Long-Term Care In The United States: History, Financing, And Directions For Reform, George A. (Sandy) Mackenzie

Upjohn Press

This book is a concise survey of the development of U.S. long-term care and its financing, with comparisons with other rich countries. It also includes a brief comparative account of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States and several other countries. The study finds much that is amiss with American long-term care and proposes three sets of progressively more ambitious reforms.