reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 4j - Multi&ndash;disciplinary Medical Review Team; Certification of Nursing Home Care Eligibility

Section 4J. No individual from birth to age twenty-two shall be admitted to a nursing home unless, prior to such admission, application has been made by or on behalf of such individual for certification by the Department's Multi–Disciplinary Medical Review Team of eligibility for nursing home care in the nursing home to which the individual seeks admission. A majority of the members of the medical review team shall consist of currently licensed health and allied health professionals who are not employees of the commonwealth and who have been engaged full time in primary care practice in their respective areas of specialization within the two years immediately prior to the commencement of service on the medical review team. Such other individuals as the department may, from time to time, deem appropriate may also serve on the medical review team. No person shall serve on the medical review team for a period exceeding two years. The medical review team shall, in consultation with the individual's referring physician, discharge planners at the individual's referring health care institution, the individual's parents, next-of-kin or guardians, the individual's primary care physician, and, to the extent deemed necessary, the departments of mental health, children and families, welfare, education, department of early education and care and the commission for the blind, assess the medical, nursing, developmental and social needs of such individuals. In the event that the medical review team fails to render a decision on certification within ten business days after submission of any application for certification, the individual may, with the approval of his or her referring physician, be admitted to the nursing home. In reviewing applications for certification of eligibility, the medical review team shall not deny certification on the basis of sex, nationality, religious affiliation, residency or domicile, source of payment or reimbursement, type of illness or injury sustained or suffered by the individual, or, if the nursing home to which the individual seeks admission is able to provide requisite care, the ability of any other health care facility, wherever located, to provide such care. In the event that the medical review team denies certification, it shall recommend an alternative care program appropriate to each individual's needs.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 4l - Advisory Board for Diethylstilbestrol Program

Section 4L. An advisory board is hereby established under the supervision of the department for the purpose of implementing the provisions of section four K. Said board shall consist of five members. Three members shall be appointed by the commissioner, one of whom shall be a member of a DES advocacy group; one of whom shall be a DES screening program provider; and one of whom shall be a DES exposed mother, daughter, or son; one member of the house of representatives shall be appointed by the speaker of the house; one member of the senate shall be appointed by the president of the senate. Three of the board members shall serve terms of three years and two shall serve terms of two years. Said board shall assist the department in preparation of the annual report to the general court.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 4m - Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C; Needs Assessment; Prevention, Education, Outreach and Surveillance Programs; Annual Report

Section 4M. Subject to appropriation, the department shall:
(1) conduct a needs assessment to determine the incidence and prevalence of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus in the commonwealth;
(2) develop and implement a program to prevent further transmission of viral hepatitis and to prevent onset of chronic liver disease caused by viral hepatitis;
(3) develop and implement a statewide public education and community outreach program to raise awareness and promote prevention of viral hepatitis;
(4) develop or approve evidence-based educational materials on the risks, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of viral hepatitis; provided that, the materials shall be made available in written and electronic form and shall be targeted to physicians and other health care providers and high-risk populations subject to an increased risk of contracting viral hepatitis as determined by the department;
(5) support the establishment and maintenance of a chronic and acute hepatitis B and hepatitis C surveillance program in order to identify (i) trends in the incidence of acute and chronic hepatitis B and acute and chronic hepatitis C, (ii) trends in the prevalence of acute and chronic hepatitis B and acute and chronic hepatitis C infection among groups that may be disproportionately affected and (iii) trends in liver cancer and end-stage liver disease incidence and deaths caused by chronic hepatitis B and chronic hepatitis C in high-risk populations; and
(6) annually report on the department's viral hepatitis education, awareness and prevention education and community outreach efforts to the joint committee on public health on or before January 1.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 4m1/2 - Hepatitis C Screening Test or Hepatitis C Diagnostic Test for Persons Born Between 1945 and 1965

Section 4M1/2. (a) As used in this section, the following words shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly requires otherwise:—
''Hepatitis C diagnostic test'', a laboratory test that detects the presence of hepatitis C virus in the blood and confirms whether the person whose blood is being tested has a hepatitis C virus infection.
''Hepatitis C screening test'', any FDA–approved laboratory screening test, FDA–approved rapid point-of-care test or other FDA–approved tests that detect the presence of hepatitis C antibodies in the blood.
(b) Every person born between the years of 1945 and 1965 who receives health care services from a primary care provider shall be offered a hepatitis C screening test or a Hepatitis C diagnostic test unless the provider believes that: (i) the person is being treated for a life threatening emergency; (ii) the person has previously been offered or has received a hepatitis screening test; or (iii) the person lacks capacity to consent to a hepatitis C screening test.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 4n - Prescription Drugs Outreach and Education Program for Physicians, Pharmacists and Other Health Care Professionals

Section 4N. (a) The department shall, in cooperation with Commonwealth Medicine at the University of Massachusetts medical school, develop, implement and promote an evidence-based outreach and education program about the therapeutic and cost-effective utilization of prescription drugs for physicians, pharmacists and other health care professionals authorized to prescribe and dispense prescription drugs. In developing the program, the department shall consult with physicians, pharmacists, private insurers, hospitals, pharmacy benefit managers, the MassHealth drug utilization review board and the University of Massachusetts medical school.
(b) The program shall arrange for physicians, pharmacists and nurses under contract with the department to conduct face-to-face visits with prescribers, utilizing evidence-based materials and borrowing methods from behavioral science, educational theory and, where appropriate, pharmaceutical industry data and outreach techniques; provided, however, that to the extent possible, the program shall inform prescribers about drug marketing that is intended to circumvent competition from generic or other therapeutically-equivalent pharmaceutical alternatives or other evidence-based treatment options.
The program shall include outreach to: physicians and other health care practitioners who participate in MassHealth, the subsidized catastrophic prescription drug insurance program authorized in section 39 of chapter 19A; other publicly-funded, contracted or subsidized health care programs; academic medical centers; and other prescribers.
The department shall, to the extent possible, utilize or incorporate into its program other independent educational resources or models proven effective in promoting high quality, evidenced-based, cost-effective information regarding the effectiveness and safety of prescription drugs, including, but not limited to: (i) the Pennsylvania PACE/Harvard University Independent Drug Information Service; (ii) the Academic Detailing Program of the University of Vermont College of Medicine Area Health Education Centers; (iii) the Oregon Health and Science University Evidence-based Practice Center's Drug Effectiveness Review project; and (iv) the North Carolina evidence-based peer-to-peer education program outreach program.
(c) The department may establish and collect fees for subscriptions and contracts with private payers. The department may seek funding from nongovernmental health access foundations and undesignated drug litigation settlement funds associated with pharmaceutical marketing and pricing practices.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 4o - Appointment of Dental Director; Office of Oral Health; Responsibilities

Section 4O. (a) Subject to appropriation, the commissioner shall appoint a dental director. The dental director shall serve at the pleasure of the commissioner and shall be a dentist licensed in the commonwealth with public health experience. The department may establish additional qualifications for the position of dental director by regulation. The dental director shall oversee the department of public health dental program to increase access to oral health services, oral health prevention activities and other initiatives to address oral health disparities.
(b) There shall be an office of oral health within the department with responsibilities that shall include, but not be limited to:
(1) providing recommendations and guidance to the department and other individuals or entities as the office determines including, but not limited to, other departments, agencies, community providers and the legislature for preventing oral diseases and for improving, promoting and protecting oral health with a focus on underserved populations and reducing oral health disparities;
(2) monitoring, studying and appraising the commonwealth's oral health needs and resources;
(3) fostering the development, expansion and evaluation of oral health services for residents of the commonwealth in collaboration with key partners including, but not limited to, MassHealth, the department of youth services, the department of children and families, the department of mental retardation, the department of mental health, the executive office of elderly affairs, the board of registration in dentistry, the department of elementary and secondary education and the department of early education and care;
(4) providing information and education concerning oral health to the dental and health community and to the public;
(5) promoting and providing technical assistance, monitoring and evaluating population-based dental programs including, but not limited to, community water fluoridation programs, school prevention programs, mobile and portable dental programs and other programs to improve access to services;
(6) developing policies to promote oral health; and
(7) developing related programs, policies and preventive measures that impact oral health.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 5 - Powers and Duties of Department

Section 5. The department shall take cognizance of the interests of life, health, comfort and convenience among the citizens of the commonwealth; shall conduct sanitary investigations and investigations as to the causes of disease, and especially of epidemics, and the sale of food and drugs and adulterations thereof; and shall disseminate such information relating thereto as it considers proper. It shall advise the government concerning the location and other sanitary condition of any public institution. It may produce and distribute immunological, diagnostic and therapeutic agents as it may deem advisable, and may sell such portions of such materials produced in its laboratories as constitute an excess over those required for its use within the commonwealth.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 5a - Preparation and Distribution of Antitoxins, Serums, Vaccines and Products Applicable to Prevention and Cure of Diseases

Section 5A. Whenever the commissioner determines that the inoculation of the general public by, or the administration to the general public of, any antitoxin, serum, vaccine or other analogous product is essential in the interest of the public health and that an emergency exists by reason of a shortage of such product, the department may purchase, produce and distribute such product under such conditions and restrictions as it may prescribe; and while such emergency exists, as determined by the commissioner, the department may establish by written order or orders, rules and priorities for the distribution and use of any such product within the commonwealth. Whoever violates any provision of any such order shall be punished by a fine of not less than fifty dollars nor more than two hundred dollars or by imprisonment for not more than six months, or both.
The department, with the approval of the executive office for administration and finance, may, for the purpose of aiding in national defense in case of war or in any national emergency declared by the president, prepare and distribute without as well as within the commonwealth, and sell or give away, in its discretion, antitoxins, serums, vaccines, viruses and analogous products applicable to the prevention or cure of diseases of man, for the use of the armed forces of the United States or in civilian defense work. This paragraph shall not curtail any powers or duties of the department under section five.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 5a 1/2 - Emergency Stockpile Trust Fund

Section 5A1/2. (a) There is hereby established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a separate trust fund to be known as the Emergency Stockpile Trust Fund to effectively facilitate emergency management and pandemic preparedness in accordance with section 5A. The fund shall consist of monies collected under this section and any income derived from the investing of amounts credited to the fund. The department shall accept monies from municipalities, counties, healthcare facilities and other entities to participate in federal contracts under 42 U.S.C. section 247d–6b and made available to states under 42 USC section 247d–3a. The commissioner shall be the trustee of the fund.
(b) Participating municipalities, counties, and healthcare facilities shall cooperate with the department to ensure that the lowest cost prices are obtained for necessary medicines and associated supplies. The commissioner, or the commissioner's designee, shall decide whether medicine and associated supplies are acceptable for the purposes of this section. The department shall designate an employee within the department to administer the development and execution of the fund.
(c) The department shall oversee the distribution of the funds and shall ensure that the distribution complies with the commonwealth's emergency management plan. All monies deposited in the fund shall be expended on behalf of the contributing municipalities, counties or healthcare facilities for the purchase of health care products and supplies needed for the purposes set forth in the commonwealth's comprehensive emergency management plan and made available under contracts accessible to the commonwealth under 42 USC section 247d–3a and to support any reasonable and necessary administrative costs incurred by the department in managing the purchase of such products and supplies or otherwise overseeing the distribution of monies deposited into the fund. All monies deposited into the fund shall be expended exclusively for the purposes set forth in this section.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 5d - Plastic Bags and Film; Rules and Regulations

Section 5D. The department shall make such rules and regulations concerning labeling, thickness and methods of use of plastic bags and plastic film as it shall deem necessary for the protection of the lives and safety of the public, which rules and regulations may provide penalties for the violation thereof not exceeding five hundred dollars for any one offence.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 5e - Application of Chemicals to Control Aquatic Nuisances; Licenses; Rules and Regulations; Violations; Penalties; Applicability of Section

Section 5E. No person shall for the purpose of controlling algae, weeds and other aquatic nuisances therein apply chemicals to a lake, pond, stream, or other body of water within the territorial limits of the commonwealth without first obtaining a license from the department of environmental protection in this section and sections five F and five G, called the department. The department shall, upon payment of a fee to be determined annually by the commissioner of administration under the provision of section three B of chapter seven, issue such license to any person whom it deems responsible and qualified to apply chemicals to lakes, ponds, streams, and other bodies of water for the control of algae, weeds and aquatic nuisances. Such license shall be valid for a period of two years, and may upon payment of a similar fee be renewed by the department for a like period. It shall not be transferable or assignable. Any such license may be revoked for cause by the department. Any applicant or licensee aggrieved by the failure of the department to grant an original license or to renew the same or by the revocation of such license may, within thirty days after such failure or revocation, appeal in writing to the commissioner of the department of environmental management of the executive office of environmental affairs. Said commissioner shall within twenty days of the receipt of such appeal give the appellant a hearing and shall, within thirty days after such hearing, render a decision which shall be a matter of public record.
The department may, after a public hearing, establish rules and regulations relative to the issuance of licenses and the application of chemicals for the control of algae, weeds and other aquatic nuisances and may from time to time amend the same in like manner and may provide penalties for violations of said rules and regulations not exceeding five hundred dollars for any one offence.
Whoever, not being licensed, applies chemicals to a body of water for the purpose of controlling algae, weeds and other aquatic nuisances, except as hereinafter provided, shall be punished by a fine of not less than twenty-five nor more than five hundred dollars.
This section shall not apply to employees and agents of the departments of environmental protection, environmental management, and fisheries, wildlife, and recreational vehicles or of the state reclamation board or of related federal agencies, while in the conduct of their official duties, nor shall it apply to the use of chemicals in privately owned ponds from which there are no flowing outlets, or to algaecides approved by the department and used by legally established water supply agencies to control taste and odors.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 5g - Water Supply; Treatment Facilities

Section 5G. The department may require by order a city, town, person or district maintaining a water supply to provide and operate such treatment facilities as are in its opinion necessary to insure the delivery of a safe water supply to all consumers. The supreme judicial or the superior court shall have jurisdiction in equity to enforce any such order.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 5i - Laser Equipment; Rules and Regulations; Penalties for Violation

Section 5I. The department may from time to time, after a public hearing, adopt, alter or repeal such rules and regulations relative to the use of laser systems, devices or equipment as it shall deem necessary to protect the public from the hazards of laser rays or beams, with penalties for the violation thereof not exceeding five hundred dollars for any particular offense. Such rules and regulations may require the registration of said systems, devices or equipment.
This section shall not be construed as limiting the powers of the department of labor standards under the provisions of chapter one hundred and forty-nine relative to the prevention of accidents or injuries to employees.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 5j - Radiation Treatment; Clinical Precautions

Section 5J. Any person who administers radiation treatment of any kind to another person shall use lead shields to protect such other person when clinically appropriate. If such other person is a female, any person who so administers such radiation treatment shall inform her that radiation can be hazardous to an unborn child, shall inquire whether such female believes she is pregnant, and if the answer is affirmative, take clinically appropriate precautions before administering such treatment.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 5m - Definitions Applicable to Secs. 5m to 5p

Section 5M. As used in sections five M to five P, inclusive, or the rules and regulations adopted under said sections, the following words shall, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, have the following meanings:—
''By-product material'', any radioactive material, except special nuclear material, yielded in or made radioactive by exposure to the radiation incident to the process of producing or utilizing special nuclear material.
''General license'', a license effective under rules and regulations adopted by the department without the filing of an application with the department or the issuance of licensing documents to particular persons to transfer, acquire, own, possess or use quantities of, or devices or equipment utilizing radioactive material.
''Person'', any individual, corporation, partnership, firm, association, trust, estate, public or private institution, group, agency of the commonwealth other than the department, any political subdivision of the commonwealth, any other state or political subdivision or agency thereof, and any legal successor, representative, agent or agency of the foregoing, but not including federal government agencies.
''Source material'', uranium or thorium, or any combination thereof, in any physical or chemical form; or ores which contain by weight one-twentieth of one per cent or more of uranium, thorium, or any combination thereof. Source material does not include special nuclear material.
''Special nuclear material'', plutonium, uranium 233, and uranium enriched in the isotope 233 or in the isotope 235, but not including source material; or any material artificially enriched by any of the foregoing, but not including source material.
''Specific license'', a license, issued to a named person upon application filed under the rules and regulations adopted by the department, to use, manufacture, produce, transfer, receive, acquire, or possess quantities of, or devices or equipment utilizing, radioactive material.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 5p - Use, Manufacture, Production, Transfer, Receipt, Acquisition, Ownership or Possession of Radiation Sources; License or Registration Requirement; Penalties

Section 5P. It shall be unlawful for any person to use, manufacture, produce, transfer, receive, acquire, own, or possess any source of radiation unless licensed, registered or exempted from licensing or registration requirements by the department pursuant to section five N. Any person who violates said section five N or five O, or any rule, regulation, license, registration or order adopted or issued under said section five N or five O shall be fined not less than one hundred nor more than two thousand dollars, or be imprisoned for a period of not more than two years, or both. Any person who continues to violate the provisions of this section after due notice by the department shall be fined not less than one thousand nor more than twenty thousand dollars or be imprisoned for a period of not more than twenty years, or both. After due notice has been issued by the department, each day of such violation shall constitute a separate offense.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 6 - Power to Define Diseases Deemed Dangerous to Public Health; Control and Prevention

Section 6. The department shall have the power to define, and shall from time to time define, what diseases shall be deemed to be dangerous to the public health, and shall make such rules and regulations consistent with law for the control and prevention of such diseases as it deems advisable for the protection of the public health. The department shall also have the power to define, and shall from time to time so define, what diseases shall be included within the term venereal diseases in the provisions of the laws relative to public health.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 6a - Hemophilia; Program for Care and Treatment; Definition

Section 6A. The department shall establish a program for the care and treatment of persons suffering from hemophilia. For the purposes of this and sections six B and six C, hemophilia shall mean a bleeding tendency resulting from a genetically determined deficiency of a clotting factor in the blood. This program shall assist persons who require continuing treatment with blood and blood derivatives to avoid crippling, extensive hospitalization and other effects associated with this condition, but who are unable to pay for the entire cost of such services on a continuing basis.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 6b - Hemophilia Advisory Committee

Section 6B. The commissioner shall appoint a Hemophilia Advisory Committee, hereafter referred to as the committee, to consult with the department in the administration of this act. The committee shall be composed of five persons representing hospitals, the Massachusetts Blood Bank Association, voluntary agencies interested in hemophilia, medical specialists in hemophilia patient care and the general public.
The commissioner shall appoint one member as chairman. Each member shall hold office for a term of four years and until his successor is appointed and qualified. The committee shall meet as frequently as the chairman deems necessary, but not less than once each year.
The committee members shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for actual expenses incurred in carrying out their official duties.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 6c - Hemophilia Program; Powers and Duties of Department

Section 6C. The department shall:—
(a) With the advice of the committee, develop standards for determining eligibility for and the nature of treatment under this program;
(b) Extend financial assistance to persons suffering from hemophilia in obtaining blood, blood derivatives and concentrates, and other efficacious agents for treatment of hemophilia in hospital, medical and dental facilities, and at home;
(c) Assist in the development and expansion of programs for the care and treatment of persons suffering from hemophilia, including self-administration, prevention, and home care and other medical and dental procedures and techniques designed to provide maximum control over bleeding episodes typical of this condition;
(d) Institute and carry on educational programs among physicians, dentists, hospitals, public health departments, and the public concerning hemophilia, including dissemination of information and the conducting of educational programs concerning the methods of care and treatment of persons suffering from this condition; and
(e) Promulgate all rules and regulations necessary to effectuate the purposes of this section and sections six A and six B.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 6d - Advisory Committee for Genetically Handicapped Persons; Investigation and Study; Rules and Regulations

Section 6D. There is hereby established within the department an advisory committee for genetically handicapped persons, hereinafter referred to as the committee. The committee shall be composed of six members to be appointed by the commissioner, one of whom shall be a geneticist, two of whom shall be medical specialists, at least one of whom shall be a neurologist involved in the medical treatment of individuals afflicted with inherited neurological degenerative diseases in persons of Portuguese ancestry, and three of whom shall be members of the general public. Each member shall hold office for a term of four years and until his successor is appointed and qualified. The members of the committee shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for actual expenses incurred in carrying out their official duties.
The department shall, with the advice and recommendations of the committee, make an investigation and study into heredo-familial neuronal degenerative diseases including, but not limited to, autosomal dominant motor system diseases in persons of Portuguese ancestry variously known as Machado's Disease, Joseph's Disease, Azorean Disease, Machado–Joseph's Disease or spino-nigro-dentatal degeneration, Huntington's Chorea, Friedreich's Ataxia and similar disorders. Said investigation and study shall be conducted for the purposes of establishing and administering a program for the medical care, treatment and counseling of genetically handicapped persons afflicted with the said medical problems.
The department shall adopt rules and regulations for the establishment of a medical program for those afflicted with Machado's Disease, Joseph's Disease, Azorean Disease, Machado's–Joseph's Disease, spino-nigro-dentatal degeneration, Huntington's Chorea and Friedreich's Ataxia and all other heredo-familial neuronal degenerations for the purpose of providing access to educational, social, and medical support services, including, but not limited to, transportation, emergency financial assistance, home nursing care, family and genetic counseling to those at risk or to those afflicted, financial assistance to those attending clinics and related medical expenses including prescription drugs, wheelchairs and communication devices which serve to aid those so afflicted.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 6e - Collection and Report of Data on Law Enforcement-Related Injuries and Deaths

Section 6E. The department shall collect and report data on law enforcement-related injuries and deaths. The commissioner shall promulgate regulations necessary to implement this section, including, but not limited to, protocols and procedures for the reporting of law enforcement-related injuries and deaths to the department by physicians and other licensed health care professionals.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 7 - Investigation of Contagious or Infectious Diseases; Notice

Section 7. If smallpox or any other contagious or infectious disease declared by the department to be dangerous to the public health exists or is likely to exist in any place within the commonwealth, the department shall make an investigation thereof and of the means of preventing the spread of the disease, and shall consult thereon with the local authorities. It shall have co-ordinate powers as a board of health, in every town, with the board of health thereof. It may require the officers in charge of any city or state institution, charitable institution, public or private hospital, dispensary or maternity hospital, or any board of health, or the physicians in any town to give notice of cases of any disease declared by the said department to be dangerous to the public health. Such notice shall be given in such manner as the department may deem advisable. If any such officer, board or physician refuses or neglects to give such notice, he or they shall forfeit not less than fifty nor more than two hundred dollars.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 8 - Use of Common Drinking Cup or Towel; Rules and Regulations

Section 8. In order to prevent the spread of communicable diseases, the department may prohibit in hotels and in such public places, vehicles or buildings as it may designate the providing of a common drinking cup or a common towel, and may establish rules and regulations for this purpose. Whoever violates any such rule or regulation shall be punished by a fine of not more than twenty-five dollars.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 8a - Poisonous or Corrosive Substances; Disposal or Closures of Containers

Section 8A. The department shall make such rules and regulations concerning the disposal or discard of containers of poisonous substances and concerning the closures of containers of corrosive substances intended for household use as it shall deem necessary for the protection of the lives and safety of the public, which rules and regulations may provide penalties for the violation thereof not exceeding five hundred dollars for any one offence.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 9 - Inspectors, Analysts and Chemists; Appointment; Removal; Power and Authority; Interference With

Section 9. In the performance of the duties relative to the sale of drugs and food the commissioner may appoint and remove inspectors, analysts and chemists. Such inspectors shall, in addition to the powers given by sections one hundred and twenty-one to one hundred and twenty-three, inclusive, of chapter ninety-four, have the same power and authority relative to drugs, fish, food and milk as is given inspectors of milk by sections thirty-five and sixty of said chapter. Such inspectors shall, in the enforcement of laws relative to controlled substances as defined in section one of chapter ninety-four C, have all the powers and authority of police officers and constables except the power to serve civil process. Inspectors assigned to investigate violations of laws relative to controlled substances as defined in section one of chapter ninety-four C may at the request of the commissioner carry revolvers, billies, clubs, handcuffs and any other paraphernalia necessary for their protection and the enforcement of such laws. Whoever hinders, obstructs or in any way interferes with any such inspector, analyst or chemist in the performance of his official duty shall for the first offence be punished by a fine of not more than fifty dollars, and for a subsequent offence by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 14a - Rheumatic Fever; Treatment of Patients

Section 14A. The department shall purchase and distribute to the boards of health in cities and towns penicillin and such other prophylactic drugs as the commissioner may approve for the treatment of persons recovering from rheumatic fever, and said local board of health may furnish such drugs free of cost to any such person when they are prescribed for him by his physician, provided that such person, or the person bound by law to support him, is unable to pay for such drugs.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 15 - Services for Division of Animal Health

Section 15. The department may perform for the division of animal health, upon such terms and conditions as may be agreed upon, such services in its laboratory as may be necessary in the examination of materials from animals suspected of being infected with glanders, tuberculosis, rabies or other diseases of domestic animals.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 16 - Unsanitary Condition of Barns, Stables or Enclosures in Which Cattle Are Kept; Report

Section 16. The department shall report to the director of animal health all cases brought to its attention where barns, stables or other enclosures, in which neat cattle, other ruminants or swine are kept, are in an unsanitary condition.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 17 - Disposal of Sewage; Consultation, Advice or Experiments; Hearing; Improvements; Definition

Section 17. The department of environmental protection, in this section called the department, shall consult with and advise the officers of towns and persons having or about to have systems of water supply, drainage or sewerage as to the most appropriate source of water supply and the best method of assuring its purity, or as to the best method of disposing of their drainage or sewage with reference to the existing and future needs of other towns or persons which may be affected thereby. It shall also consult with and advise persons engaged or intending to engage in any manufacturing or other business whose drainage or sewage may tend to pollute any inland water as to the best method of preventing such pollution, and it may conduct experiments to determine the best methods of the purification or disposal of drainage or sewage. Towns, districts and persons shall submit to said department for its advice and approval their proposed system of water supply or of the disposal of drainage or sewage, and no such system shall be established without such approval. All petitions to the general court for authority to introduce a system of water supply, drainage or sewerage shall be accompanied by a copy of the recommendation, advice and approval of said department thereon. The department may after a public hearing require a town, person, district or water company to make such improvements relative to any existing treatment, works or system of water supply as in its judgment may be necessary for the protection of public health. In this section the term ''drainage'' means rainfall, surface and subsoil water only, and ''sewage'' means domestic and manufacturing filth and refuse.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 18 - Powers and Duties of District Health Officer

Section 18. Every district health officer shall inform himself respecting the sanitary condition of his district and concerning all influences dangerous to the public health or threatening to affect the same; he shall gather all information possible concerning the prevalence of tuberculosis and other diseases dangerous to the public health within his district, shall disseminate knowledge as to the best methods of preventing the spread of such diseases, and shall take such steps as, after consultation with the department and the local authorities, shall be deemed advisable for their eradication.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 19 - Annual Report of District Health Officer

Section 19. Every such officer shall keep a record of his proceedings and observations, shall annually on or before December first make a report thereof to the department, shall from time to time furnish the department with such information as it may require of circumstances affecting the public health in his district, and shall in every instance where a written suggestion is made by him to the local authorities send a copy of such suggestion to said department.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 20 - Inspection of Correctional Institutions and Lockups; Findings and Recommendations; Report

Section 20. The department shall, semiannually, inspect each correctional institution, as defined in section one of chapter one hundred and twenty-five, and shall, annually, inspect each lockup established pursuant to the provisions of section thirty-four of chapter forty or under the jurisdiction of the state police, and shall file a report of its findings and recommendations, with respect to the compliance of each such facility with the rules and regulations promulgated under the authority of section twenty-one, with the department of correction, the secretary of health and human services, the superintendent or administrator of each such facility and the general court.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 21 - Rules for Living Conditions of Detainees; Enforcement

Section 21. The department shall make rules and regulations for police station houses, lockups, houses of detention, jails, houses of correction, prisons and reformatories, regarding the care and use of drinking cups and of dishes used for food, the care and use of bedding, appropriate clothing for detainees, the ventilation of the buildings, the minimum plumbing facilities for human habitation, and the general health and safety of the detainee. A copy of such rules as are applicable to station houses, houses of detention or lockups shall be sent by the said department to the mayor of every city and to the selectmen of every town to which the rules apply; and a copy of such rules as are applicable to jails, houses of correction, prisons or reformatories shall be sent by the department to the proper authorities. Said officials shall enforce said rules.
The commissioner shall, following a public hearing, cause any facility failing to comply with the rules and regulations promulgated under the authority of this section to close until said facility is found to be in compliance and receives written notification from the department to that effect.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 22 - Approval of Plans for Police Station Houses, Houses of Detention or Lockups; Enforcement

Section 22. No station house, house of detention or lockup shall be built until the department has approved, in writing, the plans for the provisions for lighting, heating, ventilation and plumbing, the dimensions and form of construction and the location of the cells. The commissioner may cause any facility failing to comply with the provisions of this section to close until such time as the department has approved the plans of such facility and has inspected the facility in accordance with the provisions of section twenty.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 23 - Annual Report of Commissioner of Environmental Protection; Recommendations

Section 23. The commissioner of environmental protection shall make an annual report, including the results of the examination of main outlets of sewers and drainage of towns and the effect of sewage disposal, with such recommendations for the preservation of the interest of persons and property and for the prevention of offensive odors and objectionable conditions as he considers expedient, together with recommendations for the prevention of the pollution of waters used for ice or water supply and for the removal of polluting substances, in order to protect and develop the rights and property of the commonwealth therein and protect public health; and he may recommend any legislation or plans for systems of main sewers necessary for the preservation of the public health and for the purification and prevention of pollution of ponds, streams and inland waters of the commonwealth. The commissioner of environmental protection shall include in his annual report the number of prosecutions by the department of environmental protection and an itemized account of the money expended by it in enforcement actions.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 111 - Public Health › Section 24 - Publication of Parts of Annual Report; Manual of Laws

Section 24. The department may publish for general distribution such parts of its annual report to the general court and such other matter as it may deem adapted to promote the interests of the public health in the commonwealth. The department shall publish every five years for distribution among boards of health and other health agencies a manual of the laws relating to boards of health in the commonwealth, containing such information upon the same subject as it may deem expedient. The cost of any publications referred to in this section shall be paid out of the appropriation for the general expenses of the department.