WAC 246-138-030   What are the duties and responsibilities of the local health department?  Local health departments, during regular hours of operation shall:

     (1) Determine whether the good samaritan has sustained an exchange of bodily fluids significantly increasing the odds of being exposed to a deadly infectious disease;

     (2) Determine which certain infectious diseases or other infectious diseases are appropriate to test for, which tests should be done and when the tests should be done, based on the nature and time of the exchange of bodily fluids significantly increasing the odds of being exposed to a deadly infectious disease and the natural history of infection for the diseases in question;

     (3) Offer counseling and testing, consistent with recommendations in the sixteenth edition 1995 of Control of Communicable Diseases Manual, edited by Abram S. Benenson, published by the American public health association, for those infectious diseases to which the good samaritan is determined to have sustained an exchange of bodily fluids significantly increasing the odds of being exposed to a deadly infectious disease;

     (4) Obtain the informed consent of the good samaritan prior to testing;

     (5) Provide the good samaritan with the results of the testing and the possible need for retesting;

     (6) Refer the good samaritan to an appropriate health care provider for any subsequent needed care in the event of a positive test; and

     (7) Maintain the confidentiality of those medical records as required by chapters 70.24 RCW and 246-100 WAC.



[Statutory Authority: 1999 c 391 § 2. 00-01-066, § 246-138-030, filed 12/13/99, effective 1/13/00.]