Title 68, Health, Safety and Environmental Protection

(a) It is the duty of each county board of health to establish one (1) or more clinics in each county for the purpose of providing vaccinations or inoculations, or both, to prevent the introduction and spread of communicable diseases in the county. Each county board of health sha…

Any physician fraudulently giving a certificate of sickness or of vaccination to prevent vaccination commits a Class C misdemeanor.

It is the duty of each city or county board of health to make such reports, including special reports within their jurisdiction, as the state department of health may require, in such manner, form and times as may be set out in the rules and regulations of the department.

(a) Any person mentioned in this part, unless the penalty is prescribed in this part, who willfully neglects or refuses to comply with any of the provisions of this part, commits a Class C misdemeanor. Upon complaint from any health authority, it is the duty of the district attor…

Whenever a local board or department of health, either municipal or county, willfully neglects or refuses to comply with this part, and it is apparent that an epidemic of a communicable disease is threatened to invade other municipalities or counties, it then becomes the duty of …

In accordance with the latest recommendations of the advisory committee on immunization practices of the centers for disease control and prevention, during the postpartum period and prior to discharge, each hospital shall provide parents of newborns educational information on per…

(a) In accordance with the latest recommendations of the advisory committee on immunization practices of the centers for disease control and prevention, each hospital shall between the dates of August 1 through March 31 and prior to patient discharge, provide to patients or infor…

(a) An obstetrical provider who treats a prenatal patient on at least two (2) different occasions shall make available information and instruction concerning the appropriate use and techniques of infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to at least one (1) future parent or care…

(a) As used in this section, “CMV” means cytomegalovirus. (b) If a healthcare provider as defined by § 63-6-703, who assumes responsibility for the prenatal care of either pregnant women during gestation or women who may become pregnant, has determined that a patient is at risk o…

(a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the “Chronic Disease Prevention Act.” (b) By no later than October 1, 2019, the speaker of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, the commissioner of health, and the governor shall establish a task force to stu…

On or before July 1, 2025, the commissioner of health shall add alpha-gal syndrome to the department of health’s published list of reportable diseases and conditions, the occurrence of which must be reported to the department by a healthcare provider pursuant to administrative ru…

(a) As used in this section:(1) “Birthing centers” has the same meaning as defined in § 68-11-201;(2) “Department” means the department of health; and(3) “Hospitals” has the same meaning as defined in § 68-11-201(31)(A) and (B). (1) “Birthing centers” has the same meaning as defi…

(a) It is the duty of any physician, nurse or midwife who assists and is in charge at the birth of any infant, or has the care of the infant after birth, to treat the eyes of the infant with a prophylaxis to prevent ophthalmia neonatorum or infections leading to blindness. The tr…

(a) (1) The general assembly declares that, as a matter of public policy of this state and in the interest of public health, every newborn infant shall be tested for phenylketonuria, hypothyroidism, galactosemia and other metabolic/genetic defects that would result in intellectua…

All state departments, including the department of human services, the department of mental health and substance abuse services, the department of disability and aging, and county and municipal health departments and education departments, shall cooperate with the department in c…

Nothing in this part shall be construed to require the testing of or medical treatment for the minor child of any person who files with the department a signed, written statement that such tests or medical treatment conflict with the person's religious tenets and practices, affir…

Any person violating this part or parts of this chapter or the rules promulgated pursuant thereto, relative to testing of newborn infants, commits a Class C misdemeanor.

The department of health shall provide a link on the department's internet website to the websites of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists for accessing the Guidelines for Perinatal Care regarding the indications for scree…

A newborn screening specimen taken for testing pursuant to this part or part 5 of this chapter shall be kept for one (1) year to permit time for the infant's physician to request additional tests. After one (1) year, both the specimen and the form containing the identifying infor…

(1) As used in parts 4 and 5 of this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Birth defects” means those abnormalities of body structure or function present at birth that adversely affect the intellectual capacity, health or abilities of affected individuals;(2) “Commi…

(a) The department shall establish a statewide genetics program to ensure the availability of genetic services to citizens of the state who need them for the prevention and treatment of intellectual disability or other physical dysfunctions. (b) The program shall include comprehe…

(a) The commissioner shall appoint a committee to consult with the department in the administration of parts 4 and 5 of this chapter. (b) The committee shall be composed of one (1) representative from each regional genetic and each regional sickle cell center established pursuant…

(a) (1) Genetic and other testing services provided for by parts 4 and 5 of this chapter shall be provided only to:(A) Born children;(B) Unborn children whose testing would result in treatment;(C) Men;(D) Nonpregnant women; and(E) Those pregnant women whose testing would result i…

The commissioner shall have the authority to formalize agreements with agencies in other states to provide services as may be needed.

(a) The general assembly finds and declares that birth defects represent problems of public health importance about which too little is known; that these conditions impose enormous physical, emotional, social, educational and financial burdens on individuals, families, communitie…

On or before January 1, 2013, the genetic advisory committee is directed to develop a screening program for critical cyanotic congenital heart disease for the panel of screens authorized for newborns under § 68-5-504 that makes use of pulse oximetry.

The information distributed to the family pursuant to §§ 68-5-504(b)(7) and 68-5-506(b)(3) shall be provided to the family before any blood sample for testing is drawn from the newborn. The pamphlet shall disclose the exemption from testing or treatment of a child pursuant to § 6…

(1) As used in this part, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Approved laboratory” means a publicly or privately operated laboratory approved by the department according to its rules, governing the approval and licensing of laboratories for the purposes of this part;(2) “C…

(a) Every physician, surgeon, or other person permitted by law to attend a pregnant woman during gestation shall, in the case of each woman so attended, take or cause to be taken a sample of the blood of the woman at the time of first examination and visit or within ten (10) days…

(a) Upon request, the laboratory tests required by this part shall be made without charge in the laboratories of the department. (b) This section shall not be interpreted to mean that the department's laboratories shall be the only laboratory approved to perform these tests.

(a) The laboratory report of the serological test shall be made on a form provided by the department. (b) A detailed report of the standard serological test and showing the result of the test shall be transmitted by the laboratory to the health care provider. A copy of the labora…

The department is authorized to use the information derived from pregnancy serological tests for such follow-up procedures as are required by law or deemed necessary by the department for the protection of the public health.

The department is authorized to promulgate and enforce rules and regulations to implement this part.

(a) (1) Any person who misrepresents any of the facts called for by the serological examination, or who in any way alters the determination of a serological examination, commits a Class C misdemeanor.(2) It is the duty of the district attorney general to prosecute the suit when r…

This part shall be known and may be cited as the “Tennessee HIV Pregnancy Screening Act of 1997.”

The purpose of this part is to require all providers of health care services who assume responsibility for the prenatal care of pregnant women during gestation, except in cases where women refuse testing, to test these women for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and to provide r…

(a) A health care provider shall arrange for each pregnant woman under the provider's care to be tested for HIV as early as possible in the course of the pregnancy, and again during the third trimester, unless the woman has refused testing in writing and this refusal has been pla…

The department may promulgate rules in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5, to implement this part.

This part shall be known and may be cited as the “Tennessee Chronic Kidney Disease Screening Act of 2005.”

The purpose of this part is to urge all providers of health care services that assume responsibility for patients with diabetes, hypertension or a family history of kidney disease to counsel these patients regarding chronic kidney disease, to test such patients for chronic kidney…

(a) A provider of health care services that assumes responsibility for the care of patients with diabetes, hypertension, or a family history of kidney disease, is urged to counsel each such patient regarding chronic kidney disease, and is urged to test those patients for chronic …

The commissioner of health is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of this part. All such rules and regulations shall be promulgated in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5.

(1) The department shall conduct a review and issue a report to the general assembly on variants of the apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) gene associated with increased risk of end-stage renal disease. The report must include:(1) Recommendations on how to increase awareness for APOL1, in…

(1) The general assembly finds and declares the following:(1) That hearing loss occurs in newborns more frequently than any other health condition for which newborn screening is currently required;(2) That early detection of hearing loss, early intervention, and early follow-up h…

As used in this part, unless the context otherwise requires, “hearing screening” or “hearing screening test” means a screening or test provided in accordance with current hearing screening standards established by a nationally recognized organization such as the Joint Committee o…

Every newborn infant shall be screened for hearing loss in order to prevent the consequences of unidentified hearing loss, unless the parent or parents of the child object on the grounds that the test would conflict with the parent or parents' religious tenets or practices.