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<section article="ghg" article_name="Health - General" number="18-213.1" title_number="18" title_name="Disease Prevention" subtitle_number="2" subtitle_name="Reports; Preventive Actions">
  <level label="a">
    <level label="1">
      <text>In this section the following words have the meanings indicated.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <level label="i">
        <text>“Body fluids” means:</text>
        <level label="1">
          <text>Any fluid containing visible blood, semen, or vaginal secretions; or</text>
        </level>
        <level label="2">
          <text>Cerebral spinal fluid, synovial, or amniotic fluid.</text>
        </level>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>“Body fluid” does not include saliva, stool, nasal secretions, sputum, tears, urine, or vomitus.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>“Contact exposure” means as between a patient and a sworn member of the State Fire Marshal’s office:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>Percutaneous contact with blood or body fluids;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Mucocutaneous contact with blood or body fluids;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>Open wound, including dermatitis, exudative lesions, or chapped skin, contact with blood or body fluids for a prolonged period; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>Intact skin contact with large amounts of blood or body fluids for a prolonged period.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>“Contagious disease or virus” means:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV);</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Meningococcal meningitis;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>Tuberculosis;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>Mononucleosis;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="v">
        <text>Any form of viral hepatitis, including but not limited to hepatitis A, B, C, D, E, F, and G;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="vi">
        <text>Diphtheria;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="vii">
        <text>Plague;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="viii">
        <text>Hemorrhagic fevers; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ix">
        <text>Rabies.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="5">
      <text>“Medical care facility” means a hospital as defined in § 19–301 of this article or a health care facility of a correctional institution.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>If, while treating or transporting an ill or injured patient to a medical care facility or while acting in the performance of duty, a sworn member of the State Fire Marshal’s office comes into contact exposure with a patient who is subsequently diagnosed, as a result of information obtained in conjunction with the services provided during the visit to the facility, as having a contagious disease or virus, the attending physician, medical examiner, a designee of the medical care facility who receives the patient, the Chief Medical Examiner, or the Chief Medical Examiner’s designee shall notify the sworn member of the State Fire Marshal’s office and the State Fire Marshal or the State Fire Marshal’s designee of the officer’s possible contact exposure to the contagious disease or virus.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>The notification required under subsection (b) of this section shall:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>Be made within 48 hours of confirmation of the patient’s diagnosis;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Include subsequent written confirmation of possible contact exposure to the contagious disease or virus;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>Be conducted in a manner that will protect the confidentiality of the patient; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>To the extent possible, be conducted in a manner that will protect the confidentiality of the sworn member of the State Fire Marshal’s office.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>The written confirmation required under subsection (c)(2) of this section shall constitute compliance with this section.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <text>Each medical care facility shall develop written procedures for the implementation of this section, and upon request, make copies available to the State Fire Marshal’s office.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="f">
    <text>A medical care facility, physician, Chief Medical Examiner, or the Chief Medical Examiner’s designee acting in good faith to provide notification in accordance with this section may not be liable in any cause of action related to the breach of patient confidentiality.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="g">
    <text>A medical care facility, physician, Chief Medical Examiner, or the Chief Medical Examiner’s designee acting in good faith to provide notification in accordance with this section may not be liable in any cause of action for:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>The failure to give the required notice, if the sworn member of the State Fire Marshal’s office fails to properly initiate the notification procedures developed by the health care facility under subsection (e) of this section; or</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The failure of the State Fire Marshal or the State Fire Marshal’s designee to subsequently notify the sworn member of the State Fire Marshal’s office of the possible contact exposure to a contagious disease or virus.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="h">
    <text>A sworn member of the State Fire Marshal’s office shall receive from the State Fire Marshal’s office, at the expense of the State Fire Marshal’s office, as part of the member’s training, education on:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <level label="i">
        <text>The routes of transmission of HIV and hepatitis B virus; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>The routes by which a sworn member of the State Fire Marshal’s office may be exposed to HIV and hepatitis B virus; and</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for preventing prehospital exposure to HIV and hepatitis B while rendering emergency medical care.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="i">
    <text>A sworn member of the State Fire Marshal’s office shall receive from the State Fire Marshal’s office, at the State Fire Marshal’s expense, equipment recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to protect a sworn member of the State Fire Marshal’s office from exposure to HIV and hepatitis B while rendering emergency medical care.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="j">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The State Fire Marshal’s office shall develop written procedures for the implementation of this section.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>On request, copies of the procedures developed under this subsection shall be made available to employees, employee unions, volunteer associations, and the Secretary.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="k">
    <text>A person under this section may not refuse to treat or transport an individual because the individual is HIV positive.</text>
  </level>
</section>
