PRINTER'S NO. 588
No. 555 Session of 2005
INTRODUCED BY GREENLEAF, ERICKSON, COSTA, KITCHEN, O'PAKE,
LEMMOND, RAFFERTY, STACK, THOMPSON, RHOADES, WOZNIAK,
GORDNER, PILEGGI, KASUNIC AND WAUGH, MARCH 31, 2005
REFERRED TO PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE, MARCH 31, 2005
AN ACT
1 Providing for Lyme disease education, prevention and treatment.
2 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
3 hereby enacts as follows:
4 Section 1. Short title.
5 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Lyme Disease
6 Education, Prevention and Treatment Act.
7 Section 2. Purpose.
8 The General Assembly finds that Lyme disease poses a serious
9 threat to the health and welfare of the people of this
10 Commonwealth. It is the intent of this act to provide the public
11 with information and education to create greater public
12 awareness of the dangers of and measures available to prevent
13 Lyme disease. It is also the intent of this act to provide
14 education to health care providers regarding the prevention,
15 diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease.
16 Section 3. Reporting.
17 A physician who treats or examines any person who suffers
1 from or who is suspected of having Lyme disease shall make a
2 prompt report of the disease to the local board of health or to
3 the Department of Health.
4 Section 4. Powers and duties.
5 (a) Department of Health.--The Department of Health shall
6 have the following powers and duties:
7 (1) Promulgate regulations to enforce the requirements
8 of this act.
9 (2) Develop a program of general public information and
10 education regarding Lyme disease.
11 (3) Develop a program to educate health care providers
12 to prevent, diagnose and treat Lyme disease.
13 (4) Cooperate with the Pennsylvania Game Commission to
14 disseminate the information required under paragraph (2) to
15 licensees of the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the general
16 public.
17 (5) Cooperate with the Department of Conservation and
18 Natural Resources to disseminate the information required
19 under paragraph (2) to the general public and visitors of
20 State parks and lands.
21 (6) Cooperate with the professional associations of
22 health care providers to provide the education program for
23 professionals required under paragraph (3).
24 Section 5. Effective date.
25 This act shall take effect immediately.
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