Provides that the department of health may share certain information about environmentally-related diseases

BILL NUMBER:S4201

Title of bill

An act to amend the public health law, in relation to the sharing of information related to environmentally-related diseases

Purpose

This bill would authorize the Department of Health (DOH) to share information, including identifying information, about environmentally related diseases with local health departments when DOH deems it necessary to help protect the public health against hazards associated with exposure to such diseases.

Summary of provisions

Section 1 of the bill would amend Public Health Law (PHL) § 225(5)(t) to authorize DOH to share with local health departments (LHDs) information, including identifying information, received in conjunction with required reporting of environmentally related diseases to DOH. Such sharing would only be permitted if DOH determines that it is necessary to share such information for purposes of providing professional and public education or is necessary to protect public health against the hazards associated with exposure to the material. Data would be subject to confidentiality restrictions, and the LHD would be prohibited from further disclosing the information pursuant to PHL § 206(1)(j) or other applicable laws of confidentiality.

Section 2 of the bill provides that the bill would take effect immediately.

Existing law

PHL § 206(1)0) provides that the Commissioner shall undertake studies and research aimed at reducing morbidity and mortality and improving the quality of medical care. In carrying out such duties, the Commissioner is authorized to receive reports of information from various sources, which shall be kept confidential and shall be used solely for the purposes of medical or scientific research or the improvement of the quality of medical care.

PHL § 225(5)(t) authorizes the Department, by regulation, to provide for epidemiological research into the prevention of environmental diseases conducted pursuant to PHL § 206(1)(j), subject to confidentiality obligations regarding the information received.

Legislative history

This is a new proposal.

Statement in support

DOH obtains information about individual exposure to chemicals in the environment and diseases caused by those chemicals through data reported by physicians, medical facilities and clinical laboratories to DOH's environmental exposure and disease registries, which include the Heavy Metals Registry, the Pesticide Poisoning Registry and the Occupational Lung Disease Registry. These registries collect information about individuals who have been exposed to certain metals, such as mercury, pesticides and materials that cause different kinds of lung disease in workers. DOH uses the information from the registries to help implement public health interventions and to develop outreach and education programs for professional and public audiences.

In performing these activities, DOH works with LHDs but is constrained by existing law from sharing personally identifying information from the registries with LHDs. This constraint often limits the ability of DOH and LHDs to identify and address individual sources of chemical exposures imd possible causes of illness and disease. This proposal, which would enable DOH to share data reported to the registries with LHDs, would increase the efficiency and efficacy of program activities and would not impose any additional requirements on LHDs.

Budgetary implications

This bill is not anticipated to have a fiscal impact to the State.

Effective date

This bill would take effect immediately.