The substitute authorizes the Department of Health to do an assessment under emergency conditions when necessary to inform the public and to publicly use immune globulin to prevent the spread of foodborne diseases to employees and customers of retail food establishments. When the retail food establishments implement a Department of Health approved program to ensure that food practices are safe, and that food handlers do not handle food when they are sick, they may be exempt from paying the cost of reimbursement. The substitute requires the Department of Health to notify peace officers if there is a reason to believe they have been exposed to a communicable disease in transporting a patient to a medical treatment facility. It also requires a facility to notify a peace officer upon the peace officer's written request of any exposure to a communicable disease. The prison population will be screened with protocols developed for the correction workers who come into contact with hepatitis C patients.
Totals are subject to appropriations.
Supporters say that this bill requires prenatal blood tests of pregnant women to screen for hepatitis B. Mothers who test positively or those whose results are unknown within 12 hours will be vaccinated. No individual shall be denied testing because of inability to pay. There was no opposition voiced to the committee.