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.