REPORT TITLE:
Epidemiologic investigations


DESCRIPTION:
Expands DOH's ability to investigate significant causes of
illness which threaten the public health.  Protects the
confidentiality of information received by the Department.
Protects providers of this information from being held liable.
(HB1138 HD1)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        1138
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES                H.B. NO.           H.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

RELATING TO EPIDEMIOLOGIC INVESTIGATIONS.



BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 1      SECTION  1.  Chapter 321, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 2 amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated
 
 3 and to read as follows:
 
 4      "§321-    Epidemiologic investigations.  (a)  The department
 
 5 may conduct investigations to determine the nature and extent of
 
 6 diseases and injuries deemed by the department to threaten the
 
 7 public health.
 
 8      (b)  Every person, health care provider, and medical
 
 9 facility shall provide the patient's name, the name of a minor
 
10 patient's parent or guardian, address, telephone number, age,
 
11 sex, race or ethnicity, clinical signs and symptoms, laboratory
 
12 test results, diagnostic interview data, treatment provided, and
 
13 the disposition of the patient when requested by an authorized
 
14 representative of the director for the purpose of conducting such
 
15 an investigation.  The authorized representative may only view
 
16 the limited portion of the patient's medical record which is
 
17 directly relevant in time and scope to the disease incidence
 
18 under investigation.
 

 
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 1      (c)  No person, health care provider, or medical facility
 
 2 that provides information requested by an authorized
 
 3 representative of the director for the purpose of conducting an
 
 4 investigation under this section shall be held civilly or
 
 5 criminally liable for providing that information to the
 
 6 department.
 
 7      (d)  All information provided to the department under this
 
 8 section shall be kept strictly confidential, except as the
 
 9 director determines is necessary to protect the health and safety
 
10 of the public.  Access to confidential records shall be
 
11 restricted to those individuals specifically authorized to
 
12 participate in any given investigation.  However, epidemiologic
 
13 and statistical information with no individual identifying
 
14 information may be released to the public.  The identities of
 
15 individuals whose medical records are investigated shall be
 
16 disclosed only to those persons authorized by the director or the
 
17 director's representative to conduct a specific investigation
 
18 under this section or determined by the director to be necessary
 
19 to protect the health and safety of the public."
 
20      SECTION 2.  Section 321-1, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
21 amended to read as follows:
 
22      "§321-1  General powers and duties of the department.(a)
 
23 The department of health shall have general charge, oversight,
 
24 and care of the health and lives of the people of the State.
 

 
Page 3                                                     1138
                                     H.B. NO.           H.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1      (b)  The department may conduct epidemiologic investigations
 
 2 of diseases and injuries that threaten or are deemed by the
 
 3 department to threaten the public health.
 
 4      [(b)] (c)  The department shall have authority in matters of
 
 5 quarantine and other health matters and may declare and enforce
 
 6 quarantine when none exists and modify or release quarantine when
 
 7 it is established.
 
 8      [(c)] (d)  When it is determined that there is imminent
 
 9 danger of epidemic or serious outbreak of communicable disease,
 
10 the department may refuse, modify, or limit attendance at any
 
11 school in the State.
 
12      [(d)] (e)  When in the judgment of the director, there is
 
13 deemed to be a potential health hazard, the department, through
 
14 the director, may take precautionary measures to protect the
 
15 public through the imposition of an embargo or the detention of
 
16 products regulated by the department, or the removal of products
 
17 regulated by the department from the market, or the declaration
 
18 of quarantine; provided that the director must find evidence of a
 
19 health hazard within seventy-two hours of the action taken or
 
20 rescind the action.  The director shall make public the findings.
 
21      [(e)] (f)  All county health authorities, sheriffs, police
 
22 officers, and all other officers and employees of the State, and
 
23 every county thereof, shall enforce the rules of the department.
 

 
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 1 All such powers in health matters as have been or may be
 
 2 conferred upon any county shall be concurrent with those of the
 
 3 department.
 
 4      [(f)] (g)  The department may establish charges and collect
 
 5 fees for any of its services; provided that the department shall
 
 6 not refuse to provide services to any person due to the person's
 
 7 inability to pay the fee for the service.  The department,
 
 8 through the director, shall make an annual report to the
 
 9 governor, showing in detail all its expenditures and
 
10 transactions, and such other information regarding the public
 
11 health as the department may deem of special interest.
 
12      [(g)] (h)  The department, during the prevalence of any
 
13 severe pestilence or epidemic, shall publish a weekly report of
 
14 the public health.
 
15      [(h)] (i)  The department shall establish and administer
 
16 programs, and adopt rules as deemed necessary, for the prevention
 
17 of domestic and sexual violence and the protection and treatment
 
18 of victims of domestic and sexual violence."
 
19      SECTION 3.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed.
 
20 New statutory material is underscored.
 
21      SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.