| Course | HCD 420 Population Health Management |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 3 |
| Paper type | Writing workshop draft |
| Length | About 432 words, 4 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Arizona State University |
| Program | BS in Health Care Administration and Policy |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HCD 420 Module 3
Powers and Limits: The Law Behind a Measles Outbreak Investigation
Student Name
BS in Health Care Administration and Policy, Arizona State University
HCD 420: Population Health Management
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Powers and Limits: The Law Behind a Measles Outbreak Investigation
Purpose of This Section
An outbreak investigation confirms cases, finds exposed people, identifies the source and stops further spread. Each step depends on legal authority, and each meets legal limits. This section examines both, using the New York City measles outbreak of 2018-2019, in which 649 cases were confirmed and investigators interviewed patients, reviewed medical and immunization records and identified exposed people (Zucker et al., 2020).
Laws That Enhance Investigation
Mandatory reporting. Every state obliges doctors and labs to notify the health department of suspected or confirmed measles, which is how investigators learn of cases quickly enough to act.
Access to health information. Under the HIPAA regulations, a clinic or hospital may share a patient's records with a health department investigating disease without first asking that patient (45 C.F.R. § 164.512(b)). This allowed investigators to obtain records needed to trace contacts.
Immunization registries. New York City's citywide registry let the health department monitor vaccine uptake during the outbreak (Zucker et al., 2020).
The police power. In Jacobson v. Massachusetts (1905), the Supreme Court upheld a city's power to require smallpox vaccination during an epidemic, establishing that states may restrict individual liberty to protect public health within reasonable limits. That authority supports isolation, exclusion of unvaccinated children from schools during outbreaks and emergency vaccination orders.
Laws and Conditions That Limit Investigation
Exemption laws. Where states allow nonmedical exemptions, more children are unvaccinated before an outbreak begins, enlarging the pool investigators must trace (Olive et al., 2018).
Proportionality and due process. Jacobson itself warned against measures that are arbitrary or unreasonable, so orders must be justified, limited to the threat and open to challenge, which takes time.
Privacy expectations. Even where disclosure is lawful, communities wary of government may withhold information about contacts, and investigators must protect what they collect.
Capacity. The New York City response involved 559 staff members, 7% of the agency, and cost $8.4 million (Zucker et al., 2020). Legal authority means little without people to use it.
Assessment
On balance, the law gives health departments strong tools for measles. The binding limits are less legal than practical: the number of susceptible people that exemption policy allows, and the staff and community trust needed to use legal authority well.
| Factor | Effect on investigation |
|---|---|
| Mandatory reporting | Enables fast case detection |
| Privacy rule exception | Enables record review and contact tracing |
| Police power (Jacobson) | Enables isolation, exclusion and vaccination orders |
| Nonmedical exemptions | Enlarges susceptible population |
| Due process and proportionality | Slows and limits coercive measures |
| Staffing and trust | Limits how fully authority can be used |
References
Jacobson v. Massachusetts, 197 U.S. 11 (1905).
Olive, J. K., Hotez, P. J., Damania, A., & Nolan, M. S. (2018). The state of the antivaccine movement in the United States: A focused examination of nonmedical exemptions in states and counties. PLOS Medicine, 15(6), e1002578. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002578
Uses and disclosures for which an authorization or opportunity to agree or object is not required, 45 C.F.R. § 164.512 (2024).
Zucker, J. R., Rosen, J. B., Iwamoto, M., Arciuolo, R. J., Langdon-Embry, M., Vora, N. M., Rakeman, J. L., Isaac, B. M., Jean, A., Asfaw, M., Hawkins, S. C., Merrill, T. G., Kennelly, M. O., Maldin Morgenthau, B., Daskalakis, D. C., & Barbot, O. (2020). Consequences of undervaccination: Measles outbreak, New York City, 2018-2019. New England Journal of Medicine, 382(11), 1009-1017. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1912514
What the HCD 420 Module 3 instructions ask for
Writing Workshop #3 belongs to Module 10, where the course covers the steps of a disease outbreak investigation and asks whether public health surveillance and police power are sufficient to conduct one. The posted objective for the workshop is to discuss laws and regulations that both enhance and limit the ability to conduct a disease outbreak investigation. Both halves count, so do not write only about powers or only about obstacles. Module 6, with its discussion of Jacobson v. Massachusetts and the limits of police power, is good preparation. Keep the condition from your earlier workshops and, if possible, use a real outbreak of it as your case. Cite statutes, regulations and court cases in APA legal style, which differs from journal citation.
How the HCD 420 Module 3 example is put together
Opening with a short definition of an outbreak investigation and a real case, the sample then sets out four enabling laws, mandatory reporting, the privacy rule exception, immunization registries and the police power from Jacobson, each linked to a step of the investigation. A second section covers limits: exemption laws, proportionality and due process, privacy expectations and capacity, with figures on the size of the New York City response. A table summarizes each factor's effect, and the closing assessment states that practical limits matter more than legal ones for measles. Legal sources are cited in APA legal format.
Where the marks sit in the HCD 420 Module 3 rubric
Like the other workshops, this one is graded on a Canvas rubric with a stated 80% target. Legal analysis drafts are generally credited for accurate description of relevant laws, balance between enabling and limiting factors, application to a real or realistic investigation, an understanding of the police power and its limits and a reasoned overall judgment. Drafts lose credit when they list laws without explaining their effect on investigation, when they cover only one side of the prompt, when they misstate court holdings and when legal sources are cited informally. A clear closing judgment about which limits matter most for your condition usually separates strong drafts from adequate ones. Accurate legal citation also counts.
HCD 420 Module 3 help: mistakes that cost marks
Map laws to investigation steps: which law helps you find cases, which helps you trace contacts and which helps you stop spread. Read a summary of Jacobson v. Massachusetts so you can state both its holding and its limits. Remember that practical conditions such as staffing can limit legal authority. APA has a format for court cases and regulations; use it. If your condition is chronic rather than communicable, the desk can help you adapt the outbreak framing. It also helps to name one place where the law is unsettled or contested, such as how far emergency vaccination orders may reach, because showing awareness of debate strengthens the assessment.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Arizona State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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HCD 420 Module 3 questions, answered
Where can I find a free HCD 420 Module 3 sample paper?
The full HCD 420 Module 3 sample is above: a writing workshop on the laws that helped and limited New York City's measles outbreak investigation.
What did Jacobson v. Massachusetts decide?
The 1905 ruling let Cambridge, Massachusetts, enforce smallpox vaccination during an epidemic, while warning that such powers must stay reasonable.
Can health departments get medical records during an outbreak?
Yes. HIPAA's rules let providers hand over the records a health department needs for disease control, with no signed patient consent required.
Which part of HCD 420 holds Writing Workshop 3?
Module 10, the module on disease outbreak investigation and the sufficiency of surveillance and police power.
How much did the New York City measles outbreak cost?
The health department's response cost $8.4 million and involved 559 staff members, about 7% of the agency.