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This was touched upon a little in a previous question. Many cases of patient dumping were popping up around America. Patients in need  of emergency medical care were being cast aside, ignored and delayed due to their inability to pay. In addition to the stab patient, Eugene Barnes that sparked this law, there were dozens of other cases where patients needed to be transferred to larger hospitals but the hospital refused to take patients without insurance, so the patients died. There were cases of people being asked right before surgery for a deposit, and being unable to pay were discharged with no surgery. There was also a very high rate of dead babies that were arising due to the fact that mothers in labor were being turned away because the patient was uninsured. It was then realized by the government that there were no legal duties for a hospital to treat people who are in emergency situations but cannot pay, only ethical and moral duties, which apparently weren't enough in some cases. This led to the birth of the EMTALA, requiring medical attention to all ED patients as well as transfers if needed to stabilize, including mothers in labor.

The film points out that there is a clear need for more public health infrastructure. Procedures to combat outbreak should be enacted but also increasing the education of the masses on disease spread and how to act preventatively, as well as effectively. 

The methods utilized in this paper are not necessarily new or inventive, yet this doesn't detract from its effectiveness. The data used for this study was collected from surveys of 1,569 people and the data was then analyzed using statistical methods of logistic regression.

There was very detailed recounting of investigations of three historical cases. The similarities between those cases and the World Trade Center investigations were then compared. Methods used include data collection, analysis and comparison. The author utilizes expert testimony and cites documents and the media often as well.

The author, Didier Fassin is an anthropologist and sociologist who works overseas in Sengal, Ecuador, South Africa, and France. He is a physician and has a background in public health and global health as well. He is a professor of social science at the Institute for advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. He has focused on the AIDS epidemic as well as humanitarian efforts.  

https://www.ias.edu/scholars/fassin

https://www.sss.ias.edu/faculty/fassin

On the website, it mentions that the program was started and located in Tulane due to actions that occurred post- Katrina in New Orleans. The program began due to "failures in disaster leadership" after Katrina. Tulane University was chosen due to the fact that it has exemplified such resiliency and leadership after Hurricane Katrina and portrays and provides an excellent setting for a program such as this.