<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
<section article="ghg" article_name="Health - General" number="18-213.2" 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 fluids” 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 decedent and a first responder:</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>“Correctional institution” means a place of detention or correctional confinement operated by or for the State or a local government.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="6">
      <level label="i">
        <text>“Correctional officer” means a member of a correctional unit who is charged with and actually performs those duties that relate to the investigation, care, custody, control, or supervision of individuals confined to places of incarceration.</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>“Correctional officer” includes any sheriff, warden, superintendent, or other individual having the equivalent title.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="7">
      <text>“First responder” means a:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>Firefighter;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>Emergency medical technician;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>Rescue squad member;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>Law enforcement officer;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="v">
        <text>Correctional officer; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="vi">
        <text>Sworn member of the State Fire Marshal’s office.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="8">
      <text>“Law enforcement officer” means any individual who, in an official capacity, is authorized by law to make arrests and who is a member of one of the following law enforcement agencies:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>The Department of State Police;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>The Baltimore City Police Department;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>The police department, bureau, or force of any county;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>The police department, bureau, or force of any incorporated city or town;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="v">
        <text>The office of the sheriff of any county;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="vi">
        <text>The police department, bureau, or force of any bicounty agency or constituent institution of the University System of Maryland, Morgan State University, St. Mary’s College, or of any institution under the jurisdiction of the Maryland Higher Education Commission;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="vii">
        <text>The Maryland Aviation Administration police force of the Department of Transportation, the Maryland Transit Administration police force of the Department of Transportation, the Maryland Transportation Authority police force, and the Maryland Port Administration police force of the Department of Transportation;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="viii">
        <text>The law enforcement officers of the Department of Natural Resources;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ix">
        <text>The Field Enforcement Bureau of the Comptroller’s Office;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="x">
        <text>The Intelligence and Investigative Division of the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="xi">
        <text>The Maryland Capitol Police of the Department of General Services.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="9">
      <text>“Medical care facility” means a hospital, or a health care facility of a correctional institution.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="10">
      <text>“Physician performing a postmortem examination” means any of the following persons who perform a postmortem examination on a decedent:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>The Chief Medical Examiner; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>The Chief Medical Examiner’s designee.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>If, while transporting a person to a medical care facility or while acting in the performance of duty, a first responder comes into contact exposure while treating or transporting a person who dies at the scene or while being transported and who is subsequently determined, as a result of information obtained in conjunction with a postmortem examination by the Chief Medical Examiner or a designee of the Chief Medical Examiner to have had a contagious disease or virus at the time of death, the physician performing the postmortem examination shall notify the first responder and the first responder’s employer or the employer’s designee of the first responder’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 determination that the deceased person had a contagious disease or virus at the time of death;</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 deceased person; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>To the extent possible, be conducted in a manner that will protect the confidentiality of the first responder.</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>A medical care facility or physician performing a postmortem examination acting in good faith to provide notification in accordance with this section is not liable in any cause of action related to a breach of patient confidentiality.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="f">
    <text>A medical care facility or physician performing a postmortem examination acting in good faith to provide notification in accordance with this section is not liable in any cause of action for:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>The failure to give the required notice if the first responder fails to properly initiate the notification procedures developed by the medical care facility and the Chief Medical Examiner under subsection (g) of this section; or</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The failure of the employer or the employer’s designee to subsequently notify the first responder of the possible contact exposure to a contagious disease or virus.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="g">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The State Fire Marshal, the Chief Medical Examiner, and each fire department, rescue squad company, medical care facility, correctional institution, and law enforcement agency in the State shall develop written procedures for the implementation of this section.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>On request, the State Fire Marshal and each fire department, rescue squad company, medical care facility, correctional institution, and law enforcement agency shall make copies of the procedures developed in this subtitle available to employees, employee unions, volunteer associations, and the Secretary.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="h">
    <text>A person covered under subsection (a)(5), (6), (7), (8), (9), and (10) of this section may not refuse to treat or transport a deceased person because the deceased person was HIV positive at the time of death.</text>
  </level>
</section>
