Colorado § 25-4-408 - Infection control - duties.

§ 25-4-408. Infection control - duties.

(1) It is the duty of the executive director, health officers, or local directors to investigate sexually transmitted infections and to use appropriate means to prevent the spread of such sexually transmitted infections.

(2) As part of infection control efforts, it is the duty of the executive director, health officers, and local directors to provide public information; risk-reduction education; voluntary testing; counseling; age-appropriate, medically accurate, and culturally responsive educational materials for school use; and professional education for public safety workers and health-care providers.

(3) The state department shall provide current, evidence-based, and medically accurate programs under which the state department and local public health agencies may perform the following tasks:

(a) Provide and disseminate to health-care providers digital, written, and verbal presentations describing the epidemiology, prevention, testing, diagnosis, treatment, medical services, counseling, and other aspects of sexually transmitted infections;

(b) Provide consultation to agencies and organizations, including those employing public safety workers, regarding appropriate policies for prevention, testing, education, confidentiality, and control of sexually transmitted infections;

(c) Conduct health information programs to inform the general public of the medical and psychosocial aspects of sexually transmitted infections, including updated information on how these infections are transmitted and may be prevented. The state department shall provide and distribute to the residents of the state, at no charge, printed and electronic information and instructions concerning the risks from sexually transmitted infections, the prevention of sexually transmitted infections, and the necessity for testing.

(d) Update and provide educational information concerning sexually transmitted infections that employers may use in the workplace;

(e) Provide and implement medically accurate and culturally appropriate educational risk-reduction programs for specific populations at higher risk for infection; and

(f) Update and provide accurate, age-appropriate, and culturally responsive sexually transmitted infection prevention curricula for use at the discretion of secondary and middle schools in the state.

(4) When investigating sexually transmitted infections, the state department and local public health agencies, within their respective jurisdictions, may inspect and have access to medical and laboratory records relevant to their investigation.

(5) Every person who is confined, detained, or imprisoned in a state, county, or city hospital; an institution for persons with behavioral or mental health disorders; a home for dependent children; a correctional facility; or any other private or charitable institution where a person may be confined, detained, or imprisoned by order of a court of this state must be examined for and, if diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection, referred for treatment of such sexually transmitted infection, in accordance with current standards of care, by the health authorities having jurisdiction over the given institution. The managing authorities of any such institution shall make available to the health authorities whatever portion of their respective institution as may be necessary for a clinic or hospital for treatment of a person's sexually transmitted infection with current and evidence-based standards of care in a professional manner.

(6) (a) When a public safety worker, emergency or other health-care provider, first responder, victim of crime, or a staff member of a correctional facility, the state department, or a local public health agency has been exposed to blood or other bodily fluids for which there is an evidence-based reason to believe it may result in exposure to a sexually transmitted infection, the state department or local public health agency, within their respective jurisdictions, shall assist in the evaluation and treatment of any involved persons by:

(I) Accessing information on the incident and any persons involved to determine whether a potential exposure to infection occurred;

(II) When the potential for exposure has been determined by the state department or a local public health agency, examining and testing any involved persons to determine infection;

(III) Communicating relevant information and laboratory test results on involved persons directly to the involved person or to his or her attending health-care provider, if the confidentiality of such information and test results are acknowledged by the recipient and adequately protected, as provided for in section 25-4-406; and

(IV) Providing timely counseling to any involved persons on the potential health risks resulting from exposure to infection; prophylaxis and treatment of infections until cured, where possible; treatment to prevent progression of such infections; measures for preventing transmission to others; and the necessity of regular medical evaluations.

(b) For the purposes of this subsection (6), the employer of an involved person shall comply with the provisions of section 25-4-406 and ensure that relevant information and laboratory test results on the involved person are kept confidential.

Source: L. 2016: Entire part R&RE, (SB 16-146), ch. 230, p. 900, § 1, effective July 1. L. 2017: (5) amended, (SB 17-242), ch. 263, p. 1325, § 192, effective May 25.

Editor's note: This section is similar to former §§ 25-4-404, 25-4-405, 25-4-408, and 25-4-1405 as they existed prior to 2016.

Cross references: For the legislative declaration in SB 17-242, see section 1 of chapter 263, Session Laws of Colorado 2017.