Title 23, Title 23 and Safety

The general assembly shall annually appropriate those sums for the purposes of this chapter that it deems necessary; and the state controller is authorized and directed to draw his or her orders upon the general treasurer for the payment of those sums, or so much of those sums as…

Notwithstanding the provisions of any general law, public law, or resolution which may provide for the personal approval of the director of health, the state controller is authorized to make payment for all expenditures of the department of health upon receipt of duly authenticat…

Whenever it appears that the town of New Shoreham does not have a duly licensed physician in attendance, the director of health, with the approval of the governor, may request duly qualified state physicians from any department within the state government to accept assignment to …

(a) The state department of health shall have authority to receive and expend any funds which may become available from the federal government for public health purposes whenever it is so authorized by the governor. The department of health, with the approval of the governor, sha…

(a) There shall be a fee, to be paid by the individual or entity making the request as set forth in § 23-1-54, for any letter issued by the department verifying a license which was issued by the department; and (b) The proceeds of any fees collected pursuant to the provisions of …

(a) In addition to the other powers given to the director of health or the department of health by other provisions of the general laws, and in order to permit the director to properly perform the duties given to the director by the general assembly, and to enforce the rules and …

Without limiting the generality of § 23-1-17, the rules and regulations relating to sanitation and health provided for by § 23-1-17 may include: (1) Provisions fixing responsibilities of owners, operators, and occupants of land or buildings for the sanitary condition, maintenance…

(a) The director is authorized to enter, examine, or survey at any reasonable time those places that he or she considers necessary to carry out his or her responsibilities under this chapter or under other provisions of law. (b) Any person who willfully impedes or obstructs an in…

The director of health shall make inquiry, from time to time, of the city and town clerks and practicing physicians, in relation to the prevalence of any disease, or knowledge of any known or generally believed source of disease or causes of general ill health, and also in relati…

Whenever the director determines that there are reasonable grounds to believe that there is a violation of any law administered by him or her or of any rule or regulation adopted pursuant to authority granted to him or her, the director may give notice of the alleged violation to…

Whenever the director determines that there exists a violation of any law, rule, or regulation within the jurisdiction of the director which requires immediate action to protect the health, welfare, or safety of the public or any member of the public, the director may, without pr…

If a person upon whom a notice of violation has been served under the provisions of § 23-1-20 or if a person aggrieved by any notice of violation requests a hearing before the director within ten (10) days of the service of notice of violation, the director shall set a time and p…

Whenever a compliance order has become effective, whether automatically where no hearing has been requested, where an immediate compliance order has been issued, or upon decision following a hearing, the director may institute injunction proceedings in the superior court of the s…

Any party aggrieved by a final judgment of the superior court may, within thirty (30) days from the date of entry of the judgment, petition the supreme court for a writ of certiorari to review any questions of law. The petition shall set forth the errors claimed. Upon the filing …

Unless another penalty is provided by the laws of this state, any person who violates any law administered by the director or any rule or regulation adopted pursuant to authority granted to the director shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not more than one hundred do…

Notwithstanding the provisions of chapter 35 of title 42, rules or regulations adopted by the director on or before December 31, 1966 and pursuant to authority granted to the director by law shall become effective twenty (20) days after filing those rules or regulations in the of…

The provisions of §§ 42-35-9 through 42-35-18 shall not apply to this chapter.

The following definitions apply in the interpretation of the provisions of this chapter: (1) “Director” means the director of health of the state or his or her duly authorized agent. (2) “Food” means: (i) Articles used for food or drink for people or other animals; (ii) Chewing g…

(a) The director may from time to time designate in writing any person in any department of the state government or any official of a district, county, city, town, or other governmental unit, with that official’s consent, to enforce any rule and regulation promulgated and adopted…

(a) The director of health shall maintain pathological, bacteriological, and chemical laboratories and shall select in accordance with law qualified persons to conduct and supervise the pathological, bacteriological, and chemical researches made in those laboratories. (b) The dir…

(a) No person shall construct any facility to be used for a food business, or add to, or otherwise alter an existing one, without having obtained the approval of the director of the plans and specifications for the proposed construction, addition, or alteration. (b) A plan review…

The director of health and his or her duly authorized agents, individually and severally, and when acting in good faith and without malice, shall not be personally liable for damages because of any act undertaken in the lawful performance of official duties. Any suit or other leg…

The state health laboratory facility located at 50 Orms Street in Providence, Rhode Island, shall be known as the “Dr. Charles V. Chapin Health Laboratory”.

The director shall maintain an accurate and timely accounting of money received from the sale of health promotional products, services, or data created by the department of health. This money shall be deposited as general revenue.

The director shall establish health education, alcohol, and substance abuse programs for students in grades kindergarten through twelve (12), in accordance with § 35-4-18. The director shall make an annual report to the governor and the general assembly on the administration of t…

The director shall promulgate guidelines for the prevention of transmission of HIV, and, particularly, in those instances of sperm collection or donation where the director shall require specific testing for HIV.

(a) The director shall promulgate rules and regulations which provide minimum requirements to be met by any person performing tattooing and/or body piercing upon any individual and for any establishment where tattooing and/or body piercing is performed. These requirements shall i…

(a) For purposes of this section, “laser pointing device” means any hand held device that emits light amplified by the stimulated emission of radiation which is visible to the human eye. (b) It shall be unlawful for any person to focus, point, or shine a laser beam on another per…

The department of health and director of health shall carry on the registration of vital records as provided by chapter 3 of this title and the director of health shall be ex officio state registrar of vital records.

(a) It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to misrepresent on a menu the identity of any food or food products to any of the patrons or customers of eating establishments including, but not limited to, restaurants, hotels, cafes, lunch counters, or other places…

The Rhode Island department of health may establish a nonprofit corporation in the state for the purpose of obtaining and expediting competitive public health research, development, and innovation projects and programs funded by the federal government and private foundations. Thi…

Notwithstanding the licensure, certification, or registration renewal dates specified in statutes governing assisted living residences, health care facilities, professions and occupations administered by the department of health, the director of health may, by regulation, set the…

The department shall, through its office of health professional regulations, offer wallet license cards during the process of online license renewal service for healthcare professionals. If a licensed healthcare professional opts to receive a wallet license card, the department s…

Notwithstanding the licensure, certification, or registration requirements specified in statutes governing professions and occupations administered by the department of health, the director of health shall not include the personal residence address, personal telephone number, per…

The director of health shall establish a minority population health promotion program to provide health information, education, and risk reduction activities to reduce the risk of premature death from preventable disease in minority populations.

(a) The department of health shall include in the department’s immunization program those vaccines for routine childhood immunization as recommended by the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and for routine adult immunization…

(a) There is created within the general fund a restricted receipt account to be known as the “childhood immunization account”. All money in the account shall be utilized by the department of health to effectuate the provisions of § 23-1-44 that relate to the childhood immunizatio…

(a) Beginning January 1, 2016, a portion of the amount collected pursuant to § 42-7.4-3, up to the actual amount expended or projected to be expended by the state for vaccines for children that are recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the Americ…

(a) There is created within the general fund a restricted receipt account to be known as the “PRN account.” All money in the account shall be utilized by the department of health to effectuate coverage for the following services: Existing Rhode Island lines including the PediPRN …

No health care provider, as defined in § 5-37.3-3(4), acting in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, including, without limitation, any health care provider who administers any immunization vaccine pursuant to this chapter, shall be liable to any person who experiences…

(a) The director shall promulgate rules and regulations that establish reasonable charges for expenses incurred in responding to requests for copies of medical records by physicians pursuant to § 5-37-22(c) and (d), and by any healthcare provider as defined in § 5-37.3-3 (“health…

(a) The state department of health is authorized, empowered, and directed to establish and maintain a central registry of persons suffering from acquired traumatic brain and/or spinal cord injuries. (b) The state director of health shall require the reporting of all newly diagnos…

The department of health and director of health shall enforce the provisions of all general laws and public laws relating to the sanitary inspection of swimming pools, bathing beaches, camp grounds, barber shops, hairdressing parlors, and any other premises and properties the ins…

(a) The director of health is authorized to provide, upon request, testing for all private water supplies used as sources of drinking water. This testing shall be on a voluntary basis and does not confer upon the director or department of health jurisdiction over that private wat…

There is created the office of private well water contamination within the department of health.

The office of private well water contamination shall: (1) Coordinate the response of all state agencies to instances of private well water contamination; (2) Inform public officials of private well contamination events occurring within their jurisdictions and advise them of any a…