By Ms. Wilkerson, a petition (accompanied by bill,
Senate, No. 2202) of Dianne Wilkerson for legislation to
establish a statewide environmental illness incidence
registry. Public Health.
|
By Ms. Wilkerson, a petition (accompanied by bill,
Senate, No. 2202) of Dianne Wilkerson for legislation to
establish a statewide environmental illness incidence
registry. Public Health.
|
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
SECTION 1. Chapter 111 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 111 C, as appearing in the 2000 Official Edition, the following section: -
Section 111D. The department shall establish an environmental illness incidence registry to record incidences of asthma, lead paint poisoning, lupus, and scleroderma, and any other environmental illness identified by the department that occur in residents of the commonwealth, and such information concerning these cases as it shall deem necessary and appropriate. The information contained in the registry shall be used by the departments bureau of environmental health assessment in order to conduct an annual assessment and epidemiological survey of each environmental illness and to recommend and implement appropriate preventive and control measures based on these assessments.
The commissioner shall require the reporting of cases of asthma, lead paint poisoning, lupus, scleroderma, and other environmental illnesses identified by the department and the submission of such specified additional information on reported cases or control populations within 90 days of the occurrence by hospitals, health clinics, community health centers, emergency medical services, physicians and others, as he deems necessary and appropriate for the recognition, prevention, and control of the specified illness.
The department shall, subject to appropriation, maintain comprehensive records of all reports submitted pursuant to this section. Such reports shall be confidential under section 70 and shall be released by the department, only upon written request of the patient, or his guardian,
executor, attorney, or other person designated by said subject in writing. The department may release the records to persons authorized by the commissioner to conduct research studies or to other persons, but no such studies shall identify the subjects of the reports or records.
Based upon the information provided by the registry, the department shall provide and disseminate asthma, lead paint poisoning, lupus, scleroderma and other environmental illness related information which shall include, but not be limited to geographic patterns or trends in the incidence of each illness in the commonwealth, screening and testing methods, preventive measures, and an analysis of the possible effects of environmental factors. The registry shall provide and disseminate such information through means including but not limited to establishing a toll-free telephone information line, providing written materials to hospitals and health care facilities and publishing on the Internet.
Nothing in this section shall be construed to compel any individual to submit to medical or departmental examination or supervision.
The department shall make such rules and regulations as are necessary to implement the provisions of this section.
