Title 41, Public Health

If any such patient admitted or committed by a court to a treatment facility leaves without authorization, the director may immediately issue a warrant to any officer authorized to make arrests, commanding the arrest and return of said patient to the hospital from which he is dep…

Costs of returning a patient who has left without authorization may be borne by the treatment facility from which the patient has been discharged or from which he has left without authorization.

(1) The hospital records of and information pertaining to patients at treatment facilities or patients being treated by physicians, psychologists (as defined in Section 73-31-3(e)), licensed master social workers or licensed professional counselors shall be confidential and shall…

The director shall obtain all the available facts relative to the illness of each patient admitted to said treatment facility. The director or a physician on the staff of said treatment facility shall, as often as practicable but not less frequently than every six (6) months, exa…

(1) The words and terms as used in this chapter have the following meanings:(1) “State health officer” shall mean the state health officer of the state board of health, or his designated representative.(2) “Board” shall mean the state board of health.(3) “Hemophilia” shall mean a…

The State Board of Health is authorized to establish a program for the care and treatment of persons suffering from hemophilia. The program shall assist persons who require continuing treatment with blood and blood derivatives to avoid crippling, extensive hospitalization and oth…

(1) The board is authorized to:(1) Develop standards for determining eligibility for care and treatment under this program;(2) Assist in the development and expansion of programs for the care and treatment of persons suffering from hemophilia, including self-administration, preve…

(1) The State Board of Health shall adopt rules and regulations (a) defining and classifying communicable diseases and other diseases that are a danger to health based upon the characteristics of the disease; and (b) establishing reporting, monitoring and preventive procedures fo…

The state board of health is hereby authorized to offer rubella screening tests to all females of childbearing age and to collect fees to defray the costs of such tests, provided that such fees shall not exceed the applicable Medicaid rate.

The state board of health shall counsel all females found after testing to be nonimmune to rubella as to the risks and benefits of immunization and as to the associated risks of birth defects in pregnancies occurring within ninety (90) days of vaccination.

Neither the state board of health nor any physician or nurse employed by the board who, in good faith and in the exercise of reasonable care, performs testing for susceptibility to rubella, renders counseling as provided in Section 41-23-103, or administers vaccinations against r…

(1) It is the intent of the Legislature that the State Department of Health apply for federal grants and appropriations under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), Public Law 111-148, to fund, build infrastructure, promote and expand school-located influ…

The State Board of Health, when informed by a county health officer, or otherwise, of the existence of any matter or thing calculated to produce, aggravate, or cause the spread of any epidemic or contagious disease, or to affect injuriously the health of the public or community, …

Any person who shall knowingly and willfully violate the lawful order of the county, district or state health officer where that person is afflicted with a life-threatening communicable disease or the causative agent thereof shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, shall…

The State Board of Health shall have full power to isolate, quarantine or otherwise confine, intern, and treat such person afflicted with such infectious sexually transmitted disease for such time and under such restrictions as may seem proper. Said board shall have full power to…

Any person suspected of being afflicted with any such infectious sexually transmitted disease shall be subject to physical examination and inspection by any representative of the state board of health. For failure or refusal to allow such inspection or examination, such person ma…

County health departments shall provide testing for and treatment of sexually transmitted disease. Such testing and/or treatment shall be kept in strict confidence. The county boards of supervisors are directed to make known to the public, through available media, the confidentia…

Any town, city or county is hereby authorized to make donations to the state board of health to assist in the enforcement of Sections 41-23-25 through 41-23-29.

The State Board of Health, with the consent of the governor, when it deems it proper or necessary to do so, may call upon the government of the United States for such financial and medical aid as the necessities created by an epidemic or any other health emergency may require.

Whenever indicated, the state health officer shall specify such immunization practices as may be considered best for the control of vaccine preventable diseases. A listing shall be promulgated annually or more often, if necessary. Except as provided hereinafter, it shall be unlaw…

(a) The following terms when used in Sections 41-23-39 and 41-23-41 shall have the following meanings ascribed in this section:(a) “Emergency medical technician” means a person licensed under Section 41-59-1 et seq. to provide emergency medical services as an emergency medical te…

If, in the course of providing emergency services to any person subsequently transported to a licensed facility, an emergency medical technician, fire fighter, bystanding caregiver or other provider of emergency rescue services is exposed by direct contact to the patient’s blood …

(1) As used in this section:(a) “Department” means the Mississippi State Department of Health, Bioterrorism Division;(b) “Director” means the Executive Director of the State Board of Health;(c) “Bioterrorism” means the intentional use of any microorganism, virus, infectious subst…

The State Department of Health shall prepare written educational information on the risks associated with meningitis and hepatitis A and B and the availability and effectiveness of available vaccines for these diseases. The department shall provide this written educational inform…

Not later than January 1, 2006, the State Department of Health, in collaboration with the University of Mississippi Medical Center and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, shall prepare and deliver to the Legislature a statewide Hepatitis C Virus plan.

(1) As used in Sections 41-23-49 and 43-23-51, the following words and phrases have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:(a) “Immunity passport” means a document, digital record, or software application indicating that a person has immunity to CO…

The State Department of Health shall have the authority to investigate and control the causes of epidemic, infectious and other disease affecting the public health, including the authority to establish, maintain and enforce isolation and quarantine, and in pursuance thereof, to e…

A health care facility is exempt from compliance with Section 41-23-49 during any period of time that compliance with Section 41-23-49 would result in a violation of regulations or guidance issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services or the Centers for Disease Contro…

The state board of health is hereby authorized and empowered to promulgate such rules and regulations necessary to establish a program of testing to determine the presence of the disease or condition known as sickle cell anemia or sickle cell trait.

In order to accomplish a program of testing for the disease or condition known as sickle cell anemia and/or sickle cell trait which will be most effective and efficient throughout the state, the state board of health may, by rule or regulation, require testing of only those perso…

The state board of health is hereby authorized and empowered to prepare and distribute educational materials relating to sickle cell anemia and sickle cell trait in conjunction with the program of testing as provided for above. Such materials shall be distributed to school teache…

The State Board of Health shall have authority to make such sanitary investigations and prepare such rules and regulations governing the disinfection and sanitation of public buildings and vehicles as it may deem necessary for the protection and improvement of health.

The state board of health shall have the power to establish sanitary regulations for house trailers, house trailer camps, and tourist camps, which shall be called the sanitary code. The sanitary code may include provisions for the sanitary construction, maintenance, regulation, i…

The board shall assess a fee in the following amount and for the following purpose: Mobile home and recreational vehicle park annual permit fee $50.00 The fee authorized under this section shall not be assessed for any mobile home and recreational vehicle park operated by a state…

Sections 41-26-1 through 41-26-31 shall be known and cited as the “Mississippi Safe Drinking Water Act of 1997.”

(1) (a) Each member elected or reelected after June 30, 1998, to serve on a governing board of any community public water system shall attend a minimum of eight (8) hours of management training within two (2) years following the election of that board member. Any member failing t…

The director shall develop an adequate plan for the provision of safe drinking water under emergency circumstances. If, in the judgment of the director, emergency circumstances exist in the state for safe drinking water, the director may take any actions deemed necessary to provi…

(1) A public water system shall, as soon as practicable, notify the county or district health department, the board and the administrator if one (1) of the following conditions exist: (a) the system is not in compliance with the Mississippi Primary Drinking Water Regulations; (b)…

(1) The department shall develop and implement a cross connection control program in accordance with this section. Before development of the cross connection control program, the department shall consult with the United States Environmental Protection Agency regarding the develop…

(a) The following acts and the causing of these acts are prohibited:(a) Failure by a supplier of water to comply with the requirements of Section 41-26-13, or dissemination by that supplier of any false or misleading information with respect to notices required under Section 41-2…

(1) When the director or an employee of the department has reason to believe that a violation of Sections 41-26-1 through 41-26-31, a rule or regulation promulgated under Sections 41-26-1 through 41-26-31, any order of the director, or any limitation or condition of an approval h…

(1) (a) Any hearing under Sections 41-26-1 through 41-26-31 may be conducted by the director or an administrative law judge or an administrative hearing officer designated by the director. The presiding official may conduct the hearings in the name of the director at any time and…

(1) The Legislature finds that:(a) An adequate supply of safe, pure drinking water is essential to the public health and welfare and the maintenance of that supply through viable water systems is an important natural resource in the economic development of the state;(b) The feder…

Sections 41-26-201 through 41-26-211 shall be known and may be cited as the “Community Drinking Water Infrastructure Sustainability Act”.

(a) For purposes of Sections 41-26-201 through 41-26-211, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings as provided in this section unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:(a) “Community Public Water System” means a public water system serving at least fifteen (1…

(a) There is established a community public water system accountability process to:(a) Support drinking water infrastructure sustainability for the citizens of Mississippi.(b) Promote the protection of the citizens of Mississippi from poor water quality and deficient service by a…