PRINTER'S NO. 1687
No. 1434 Session of 1975
INTRODUCED BY RHODES, WHITTLESEY, REED, OLIVER, MISCEVICH,
M. E. MILLER JR., GRING, LYNCH AND RYAN, JUNE 10, 1975
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND WELFARE, JUNE 11, 1975
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of April 23, 1956 (P.L.1510, No.500), entitled,
2 as amended, "An act providing for the prevention and control
3 of communicable and non-communicable diseases including
4 venereal diseases, fixing responsibility for disease
5 prevention and control, requiring reports of diseases, and
6 authorizing treatment of venereal diseases, and providing for
7 premarital and prenatal blood tests; amending, revising and
8 consolidating the laws relating thereto; and repealing
9 certain acts," including malignant neoplasms and
10 cardiovascular diseases as reportable diseases and further
11 providing for confidentiality of reports.
12 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
13 hereby enacts as follows:
14 Section 1. Clause (k) of section 2 and section 15, act of
15 April 23, 1956 (P.L.1510, No.500), known as the "Disease
16 Prevention and Control Law of 1955," are amended to read:
17 Section 2. Definitions.--
18 The following terms, whenever used in this act, have the
19 meanings indicated in this section, except where the context
20 indicates a clearly different meaning:
21 * * *
22 (k) Reportable disease. [(a)] (i) Any communicable disease
1 declared reportable by regulation; [(b)] (ii) malignant
2 neoplasms and cardiovascular diseases; (iii) any unusual or
3 group expression of illness which, in the opinion of the
4 secretary, may be a public health emergency; and [(c)] (iv) such
5 non-communicable diseases and conditions for which the secretary
6 may authorize reporting to provide data and information which,
7 in the opinion of the Advisory Health Board, are needed in order
8 effectively to carry out those programs of the department
9 designed to protect and promote the health of the people of the
10 Commonwealth, or to determine the need for the establishment of
11 such programs.
12 * * *
13 Section 15. Confidentiality of Reports and Records.--State
14 and local health authorities may not disclose reports of
15 diseases, any records maintained as a result of any action taken
16 in consequence of such reports, or any other records maintained
17 pursuant to this act or any regulations, to any person who is
18 not a member of the department or of a local board or department
19 of health, except where necessary to carry out the purposes of
20 this act, however, the names, addresses, social security numbers
21 or any other means of identifying specific individuals may not
22 be disclosed. State and local health authorities may permit the
23 use only of data contained in disease reports and other records,
24 maintained pursuant to this act, or any regulation, for research
25 purposes, subject to strict supervision by the health
26 authorities to insure that the use of the reports and records is
27 limited to the specific research purposes.
28 Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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