Chapter 9. Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (aids) Public Safety And Testing Disclosure of California Health And Safety Code >> Division 105. >> Part 4. >> Chapter 9.

The people of the State of California find and declare that AIDS, AIDS-related conditions, and other communicable diseases pose a major threat to the public health and safety. The health and safety of the public, victims of sexual crimes, and peace officers, firefighters, and custodial personnel who may come into contact with infected persons, have not been adequately protected by law. The purpose of this chapter is to require that information that may be vital to the health and safety of the public, victims of certain crimes, certain defendants and minors, and custodial personnel, custodial medical personnel, peace officers, firefighters and emergency medical personnel put at risk in the course of their official duties, be obtained and disclosed in an appropriate manner in order that precautions can be taken to preserve their health and the health of others or that those persons can be relieved from groundless fear of infection. It is the intent of this chapter to supersede in case of conflict existing statutes or case law on the subjects covered including but not limited to the confidentiality and consent provisions contained in Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 120975), Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 121025), and Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 121075).

Any defendant charged in any criminal complaint filed with a magistrate or court with any violation of Penal Code Sections 261, 261.5, 262, 266b, 266c, 286, 288, or 288a and any minor with respect to whom a petition has been filed in a juvenile court alleging violation of any of the foregoing laws, shall be subject to an order of a court having jurisdiction of the complaint or petition requiring testing as provided in this chapter. If an alleged victim listed in the complaint or petition makes a written request for testing under this section, the prosecuting attorney, or the alleged victim may petition the court for an order authorized under this section. The court shall promptly conduct a hearing upon any such petition. If the court finds that probable cause exists to believe that a possible transfer of blood, saliva, semen, or other bodily fluid took place between the defendant or minor and the alleged victim in an act specified in this section, the court shall order that the defendant or minor provide two specimens of blood for testing as provided in this chapter. Copies of the test results shall be sent to the defendant or minor, each requesting victim and, if the defendant or minor is incarcerated or detained, to the officer in charge and the chief medical officer of the facility where the person is incarcerated or detained.

(a) Any forensic scientist, including, but not limited to, any criminalist, toxicologist, and forensic pathologist, or any other employee required to handle or perform DNA or other forensic evidence analysis within the scope of his or her duties, who comes into contact with blood or other bodily fluids on, upon, or through the skin or membranes of his or her person while handling or performing testing on forensic evidence, may petition, ex parte, the court having jurisdiction over the laboratory in which he or she works for an order authorized under this chapter. The employing agency, officer, or entity of the affected employee may also file an ex parte petition for an order authorized under this chapter. Before filing a petition, the requesting party shall make a reasonable effort to obtain the consent of the person whose blood or bodily fluids is to be tested.
  (b) The court shall promptly consider any petition filed pursuant to this section. If the court finds that probable cause exists to believe that a possible transfer of blood, saliva, semen, or other bodily fluid took place between the forensic evidence collected and the forensic scientist, criminalist, toxicologist, forensic pathologist, or any other employee required to handle evidence or perform forensic testing thereon as specified in this section, the court shall promptly order that the existing forensic evidence be tested as provided in this chapter.
  (c) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), copies of the test results shall be sent to each requesting employee named in the petition, and his or her employing agency, officer, or entity, to the person whose sample was tested, and to the officer in charge and the chief medical officer of the facility in which the person is incarcerated or detained.
  (2) The person whose sample was tested, shall be advised that he or she will be informed of the HIV test results only if he or she wishes to be so informed. If the person declines to be informed of the HIV test results, then he or she shall sign a form documenting that refusal. The person's refusal to sign that form shall be construed to be a request to be informed of the HIV test results.

(a) Any peace officer, firefighter, custodial officer, as that term is defined in subdivision (a) of Section 831 or subdivision (a) of Section 831.5 of the Penal Code, a custody assistant, as that term is defined in subdivision (a) of Section 831.7 of the Penal Code, a nonsworn uniformed employee of a law enforcement agency whose job entails the care or control of inmates in a detention facility, a nonsworn employee of a law enforcement agency whose job description entails the collection of fingerprints, or emergency medical personnel who, while acting within the scope of his or her duties, is exposed to an arrestee's blood or bodily fluids, as defined in Section 121060.1, shall do the following:
  (1) Prior to filing a petition with the court, a licensed health care provider shall notify the arrestee of the bloodborne pathogen exposure and make a good faith effort to obtain the voluntary informed consent of the arrestee or the arrestee's authorized legal representative to perform a test for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. The voluntary informed consent shall be in writing. Once consent is given in writing, the arrestee shall provide three specimens of blood for testing as provided in this chapter.
  (2) If voluntary informed consent is not given in writing, the affected individual may petition, ex parte, the court for an order requiring testing as provided in this chapter. The petition shall include a written certification by a health care professional that an exposure, including the nature and extent of the exposure, has occurred.
  (b) The court shall promptly conduct a hearing upon a petition filed pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a). If the court finds that probable cause exists to believe that a possible bloodborne pathogen exposure, as defined in Section 121060.1, took place between the arrestee and the peace officer, firefighter, custodial officer, custody assistant, nonsworn uniformed employee of a law enforcement agency whose job entails the care or control of inmates in a detention facility, nonsworn employee of a law enforcement agency whose job description entails the collection of fingerprints, or emergency medical personnel, as specified in this section, the court shall order that the arrestee provide three specimens of blood for testing as provided in this chapter.
  (c) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), copies of the test results shall be sent to the arrestee, each peace officer, firefighter, custodial officer, custody assistant, nonsworn uniformed employee of a law enforcement agency whose job entails the care or control of inmates in a detention facility, nonsworn employee of a law enforcement agency whose job description entails the collection of fingerprints, and emergency medical personnel named in the petition and his or her employing agency, officer, or entity, and if the arrestee is incarcerated or detained, to the officer in charge and the chief medical officer of the facility where the person is incarcerated or detained.
  (2) The person whose sample was tested, shall be advised that he or she will be informed of the hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV test results only if he or she wishes to be so informed. If the person consents to be informed of the hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV test results, then he or she shall sign a form documenting that consent. The person's refusal to sign that form shall be construed to be a refusal to be informed of the hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV test results.
  (3) Except as otherwise provided under this section, all confidentiality requirements regarding medical records shall apply to the test results obtained.

(a) For purposes of Section 121060, "bloodborne pathogen exposure" means a percutaneous injury, including, but not limited to, a needle stick or cut with a sharp object, or the contact of nonintact skin or mucous membranes with any of the bodily fluids identified in subdivision (b), in accordance with the most current bloodborne pathogen exposure definition established by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  (b) "Bodily fluids" means any of the following:
  (1) Blood.
  (2) Tissue.
  (3) Mucous containing visible blood.
  (4) Semen.
  (5) Vaginal secretions.

(a) The withdrawal of blood shall be performed in a medically approved manner. Only a physician, registered nurse, licensed vocational nurse, licensed medical technician, or licensed phlebotomist may withdraw blood specimens for the purposes of this chapter.
  (b) The court shall order that the blood specimens be transmitted to a licensed medical laboratory and that tests be conducted thereon for medically accepted indications of exposure to or infection by HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C.
  (c) (1) The test results shall be sent to the designated recipients with the following disclaimer: "The tests were conducted in a medically approved manner. Persons receiving this test result should continue to monitor their own health and should consult a physician as appropriate. Recipients of these test results are subject to existing confidentiality protections for any identifying information about HIV, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C test results. Medical information regarding the HIV, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C status of the source patient shall be kept confidential and may not be further disclosed, except as otherwise authorized by law."
  (2) The exposed individual shall also be informed of the penalties for disclosure for which he or she would be personally liable pursuant to Section 120980. If the person subject to the test is a minor, copies of the test result shall also be sent to the minor's parents or guardian.
  (d) The court shall order all persons, other than the test subject, who receive test results pursuant to Sections 121055, 121056, or 121060, to maintain the confidentiality of personal identifying data relating to the test results except for disclosure that may be necessary to obtain medical or psychological care or advice.
  (e) The specimens and the results of tests ordered pursuant to Sections 121055, 121056, and 121060 shall not be admissible evidence in any criminal or juvenile proceeding.
  (f) Any person performing testing, transmitting test results, or disclosing information pursuant to the provisions of this chapter shall be immune from civil liability for any action undertaken in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.

(a) Any medical personnel employed by, under contract to, or receiving payment from the State of California, any agency thereof, or any county, city, or city and county to provide service at any state prison, the Medical Facility, any Youth Authority institution, any county jail, city jail, hospital jail ward, juvenile hall, juvenile detention facility, or any other facility where adults are held in custody or minors are detained, or any medical personnel employed, under contract, or receiving payment to provide services to persons in custody or detained at any of the foregoing facilities, who receives information as specified herein that an inmate or minor at the facility has been exposed to or infected by the AIDS virus or has an AIDS-related condition or any communicable disease, shall communicate the information to the officer in charge of the facility where the inmate or minor is in custody or detained.
  (b) Information subject to disclosure under subdivision (a) shall include the following: any laboratory test that indicates exposure to or infection by the AIDS virus, AIDS-related condition, or other communicable diseases; any statement by the inmate or minor to medical personnel that he or she has AIDS or an AIDS-related condition, has been exposed to the AIDS virus, or has any communicable disease; the results of any medical examination or test that indicates that the inmate or minor has tested positive for antibodies to the AIDS virus, has been exposed to the AIDS virus, has an AIDS-related condition, or is infected with AIDS or any communicable disease; provided, that information subject to disclosure shall not include information communicated to or obtained by a scientific research study pursuant to prior written approval expressly waiving disclosure under this section by the officer in charge of the facility.
  (c) The officer in charge of the facility shall notify all employees, medical personnel, contract personnel, and volunteers providing services at the facility who have or may have direct contact with the inmate or minor in question, or with bodily fluids from the inmate or minor, of the substance of the information received under subdivisions (a) and (b) so that those persons can take appropriate action to provide for the care of the inmate or minor, the safety of other inmates or minors, and their own safety.
  (d) The officer in charge and all persons to whom information is disclosed pursuant to this section shall maintain the confidentiality of personal identifying data regarding the information, except for disclosure authorized hereunder or as may be necessary to obtain medical or psychological care or advice.
  (e) Any person who wilfully discloses personal identifying data regarding information obtained under this section to any person who is not a peace officer or an employee of a federal, state, or local public health agency, except as authorized hereunder, by court order, with the written consent of the patient or as otherwise authorized by law, is guilty of a misdemeanor.