Title 20 — Public Health and Welfare

The General Assembly finds and determines that there is a lack of Arkansas-specific information and data to guide officials responsible for policy decisions and that making this data readily available to decision makers is essential to the creation of effective health policy for …

(a) (1) The Director of the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement shall establish and maintain a program to access health data to be known as the “Arkansas Health Data Initiative”.(2) The initiative shall be administered and maintained within the the Arkansas Center for Health I…

(a) If agreed to by state agencies responsible for maintaining requested data sources, the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement may have access to the agencies' information and data to facilitate operation of the Arkansas Health Data Initiative. (b) Data under subsection (a) of…

The Office of State Technology, Department of Finance and Administration, Department of Health, Department of Human Services, State Insurance Department, and all other appropriate departments, agencies, subcontractors, and officers shall promulgate rules to implement this subchap…

This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Newborn Umbilical Cord Blood Initiative Act”.

(1) The General Assembly finds that:(1) More than one hundred million (100,000,000) Americans and two billion (2,000,000,000) other humans worldwide suffer from diseases that may eventually be treated more effectively or even cured with stem cells;(2) Stem cell research has been …

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) “Amniotic fluid” means the fluid inside the amnion;(2) “Nonembryonic stem cell research” means medical research involving stem cells that have not been derived from a human embryo or fetus;(3) “Placenta” means the organ that forms on the inner w…

(a) (1) The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences shall establish and maintain the Newborn Umbilical Cord Blood Bank in this state for the purpose of collecting and storing postnatal tissue and fluid.(2) The Newborn Umbilical Cord Blood Bank shall create a voluntary program…

A.C.A. § 20-8-505Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

(a) The medical director of the Newborn Umbilical Cord Blood Bank shall:(1) Investigate the implementation of this subchapter and recommend improvements in this subchapter to the General Assembly;(2) Oversee the operations of the Newborn Umbilical Cord Blood Bank, including witho…

This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Volunteer Health Care Act”.

(1) It is the purpose of the General Assembly to:(1) Provide and facilitate access to appropriate, safe, and cost-effective healthcare services; and(2) Maintain healthcare quality. (1) Provide and facilitate access to appropriate, safe, and cost-effective healthcare services; and…

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) “Contract” means an agreement executed in compliance with this subchapter between a healthcare professional or a medical professional and the Department of Health or a governmental contractor;(2) “Governmental contractor” means the county health…

(a) (1) A healthcare provider or medical professional may enter into a contract with the Department of Health or governmental contractor to deliver volunteer health services to eligible low-income patients.(2) A healthcare provider or medical professional that enters into a contr…

(a) A medical professional may fulfill one (1) hour of continuing education credit with the performance of eight (8) hours of volunteer services under this subchapter. (b) A medical professional shall not obtain more than thirty-two (32) hours of credits as described in subsectio…

(a) The healthcare provider or medical professional shall provide written notice to each patient, parent of the patient, or legal guardian of the patient served under a contract described in this subchapter. (b) The written notice shall:(1) Be acknowledged in writing by the patie…

(a) Annually, the Department of Health shall report to:(1) The President Pro Tempore of the Senate;(2) The Speaker of the House of Representatives;(3) The minority leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives;(4) The Chair of the Senate Committee on Public Health, Welfa…

A governmental contractor is responsible for costs and attorney's fees for malpractice litigation arising out of healthcare services delivered under a contract brought to the Arkansas State Claims Commission.

The Department of Health shall promulgate rules necessary to implement this subchapter in a manner consistent with the purpose of this subchapter.

This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Primary Prevention Programs Act”.

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) “At-risk youth” means an individual in grades kindergarten through twelve (K-12) who has a greater vulnerability for risk behaviors;(2) “Client” means the intended audience of a primary prevention and risk avoidance program;(3) “Culturally appro…

(a) (1) If an education program concerning risk behavior is provided to a youth by or through a state agency or public school, the education program shall utilize a primary prevention and risk avoidance program.(2) Secondary prevention strategies that focus on risk reduction rath…

This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Acute Stroke Care Act of 2005”.

(1) The General Assembly finds that:(1) The citizens of the State of Arkansas are entitled to the maximum protection which is practicable from the effects of strokes;(2) Each year about seven hundred thousand (700,000) Americans experience a new or recurrent stroke;(3) On average…

(a) There is created the Acute Stroke Care Task Force to consist of twelve (12) members. (b) The Secretary of the Department of Health shall appoint:(1) One (1) member to represent the Department of Health;(2) One (1) member to represent the American Heart Association and the Ame…

(1) The Acute Stroke Care Task Force shall:(1) Make recommendations to the State Board of Health consistent with the intent and purpose of this subchapter;(2) Pursue both public and private funding to further the intent of this subchapter; and(3) Develop standards and policy reco…

The State Board of Health, after consultation with the Acute Stroke Care Task Force and if funds are available, may promulgate rules to further the intent of this subchapter.

(a) Any additional compensation or allowances which may be made available to professional health service personnel at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences campus may also be made available to those in comparable positions in all divisions or offices of the Department o…

A.C.A. § 20-9-102Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

(a) As used in this section, “birthing facility” means an inpatient or ambulatory healthcare facility licensed by the Department of Health that provides birthing services or newborn care services, or both. (b) Birthing facilities shall begin pulse oximetry testing for critical co…

(a) As used in this section:(1) “Maintenance of certification” means any process requiring periodic recertification examinations or other activities to maintain specialty medical certification; and(2) “Specialty medical board certification” means a certification by a board that:(…

(a) The General Assembly finds that:(1) The healthcare needs of the citizens of Arkansas are served by over sixty-six thousand (66,000) licensed nurses in a wide array of clinical settings and levels of criticality;(2) Both national and state data present an upward trend in viole…

(a) As used in this section:(1) “Healthcare provider” means:(A) An individual who is licensed, certified, or otherwise authorized by a licensing authority of this state to administer healthcare services in the ordinary course of his or her business or practice; or(B) A healthcare…

(a) As used in this section:(1) “Foreign adversary” means the same as the definition of “prohibited foreign party” under § 18-11-802;(2) “Genetic sequencer” means a device or platform used to conduct genetic analysis, resequencing, isolation, or other genetic research;(3) “Human …

This subchapter shall be known as the “Cervical Cancer Care Act of 2005”.

(a) There is created the Cervical Cancer Task Force to consist of twelve (12) members. (b) The Secretary of the Department of Health shall appoint:(1) One (1) member to represent the Department of Health;(2) One (1) member to represent the American Cancer Society;(3) One (1) memb…

(a) The Cervical Cancer Task Force shall:(1) Make recommendations to the Breast Cancer Control Advisory Board consistent with the intent of this subchapter;(2) Pursue both public and private funding to further the intent of this subchapter; and(3) Develop standards and policy rec…

After consultation with the Cervical Cancer Task Force and if funds are available, the State Board of Health may promulgate rules to further the intent of this subchapter.

This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Health Facility Infection Disclosure Act of 2007”.

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) (A) “Health facility” means any of the following facilities:(i) A hospital, outpatient surgery center, public health center, or recuperation center, as those facilities are defined in § 20-9-201; and(ii) Any other facility determined to be a sou…

(a) A health facility shall collect data on healthcare-associated infection rates for the following:(1) Central line-associated bloodstream infections in an intensive care unit; and(2) Other categories as provided under § 20-9-1204(e). (1) Central line-associated bloodstream infe…

(a) The Secretary of the Department of Health shall appoint an Advisory Committee on Healthcare Acquired Infections, including without limitation representatives of:(1) Public and private hospitals, including representatives of hospitals with fewer than fifty (50) beds and repres…

(a) (1) (A) In consultation with the Advisory Committee on Healthcare Acquired Infections, the Department of Health shall submit annually a report summarizing the health facility quarterly reports required under this subchapter to the Chair of the House Committee on Public Health…

(a) It is the intent of the General Assembly that a patient's right of confidentiality shall not be violated in any manner under this subchapter. (b) Social Security numbers and any other information that could be used to identify an individual patient shall not be released under…

The State Board of Health shall promulgate rules to implement this subchapter.

This subchapter is contingent upon the appropriation and availability of funding necessary for the Department of Health to implement its provisions, and any requirements that actions be accomplished by a specific date shall be extended until the necessary funding is available.

This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Arkansas Peer Review Fairness Act”.

(a) The General Assembly finds that:(1) The peer review process is well established as an acceptable means of monitoring quality and improving care within an institution;(2) (A) The peer review process faces unique challenges in the hospital setting compared to other healthcare s…

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) “Adversely affect”, when used in reference to clinical privileges or medical staff membership, means deny, reduce, restrict, suspend, revoke, or fail to renew;(2) “Conflict of interest” means a personal or financial interest that would lead an o…

(a) Professional review activity shall be conducted and professional review actions shall be taken in compliance with the requirements of the Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986, 42 U.S.C. § 11101 et seq., and the additional requirements of this subchapter. (b) (1) If at …