Title 68, Health, Safety and Environmental Protection

The division has the power and is authorized to expend from the amount appropriated to it such amount as may be recommended by the commissioner and approved by the governor for the establishment and operation of field treatment clinics, which shall include, but not be limited to,…

For the execution of the powers, duties and obligations vested in the department, the department has the right to acquire by purchase, gift, bequest, lease, devise or otherwise, all necessary or proper personalty, lands and tenements, or any interest in personalty, lands and tene…

(a) The department is empowered to enter into, execute and perform all contracts for services or property, or both, necessary or proper to the execution of the purposes of this chapter and, to this end, may enter into any contract with any county or municipality, or both, jointly…

The commissioner shall employ a hospital administrator for each of the chest disease hospitals and other capable administrative personnel as are required for the efficient and effective administration of the hospital.

(a) The expenditure of public funds for the control of tuberculosis and the isolation and treatment of persons ill with tuberculosis shall be considered as expenditures for the protection of the public health, and not as funds expended for welfare or relief. (b) Hospitalization s…

(a) (1) The commissioner may make such rules and regulations as may be deemed necessary to collect all or any part of the established cost of treatment from a patient, or from the person or persons legally liable for the patient's support, who may have income or estate sufficient…

The department, with the approval of the governor, has the power and is authorized to adopt such reasonable fiscal policies governing the use and allocation of funds appropriated under provisions of this chapter as may be necessary to enable the state to procure the maximum possi…

The state of Tennessee accepts any and all legislation enacted by the congress of the United States, whether heretofore or hereafter enacted, providing financial aid to or cooperation with the several states in the eradication, prevention or treatment of tuberculosis.

It is the duty of the attorney general and reporter, upon the request of the department, to advise the department at all times of its legal rights, duties, powers and obligations, in matters concerning this chapter, to appear in any proceedings in the courts or otherwise, concern…

Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to affect the continued operation and function of the East Tennessee Chest Disease Hospital or to deny to patients in the area that it serves the opportunity to be admitted to and receive treatment in that hospital, as the availability o…

(a) If any attending physician or other person knows or has good reason to suspect that a person having tuberculosis is behaving so as to expose other persons to infection, or is about to so conduct themselves, the attending physician or other person shall notify the state, distr…

The commissioner and all state, district, county or municipal health officers or their authorized deputies within their respective jurisdictions, are authorized, directed and empowered, when in their judgment it is necessary to protect the public health, to make or have examinati…

In establishing isolation or quarantine, the commissioner or state, district, municipal or county health officer having jurisdiction shall designate and define the length of time, site and any other conditions required of the person to be isolated or quarantined.

(a) No one but the commissioner, a state, municipal, district or county health officer or such person's duly authorized representative shall establish and terminate isolation or quarantine of persons with infectious tuberculosis. (b) Isolation or quarantine may be established whe…

The department may establish and maintain one (1) or more detention facilities as the commissioner deems appropriate to sufficiently confine all persons who refuse to be examined, treated, isolated or quarantined as provided for by this part.

(a) (1) Whenever, in the judgment of the commissioner or a state, municipal, district or county health officer, there is reasonable clinical or epidemiological evidence to suspect that any person or persons have infectious tuberculosis that may be communicable, and the person or …

(a) If, at any time after being isolated or quarantined, any person so isolated or quarantined shall, in the opinion of the commissioner or health officer in charge of the place of isolation or quarantine, be a fit and proper person for release from the isolation or quarantine to…

(1) As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:(1) “Commissioner” means the commissioner of health or the commissioner's designee; or in the absence of the commissioner, the deputy commissioner;(2) “Department” means the department of health;(3) “Forms” means …

If any attending physician or other person knows or has good reason to suspect that a person having a STD is behaving so as to expose other persons to infection, or is about to so behave, the attending physician or other person shall notify the municipal or county health officer …

It is the duty of every physician or other person treating persons infected with a STD to give such persons printed instructions containing information deemed advisable by the department, such printed instructions to be furnished by the department.

(a) (1) State, district, county and municipal health officers or their authorized deputies, within their respective jurisdictions, are directed and empowered, when, in their judgment, it is necessary to protect the public health, to make an examination of a person reasonably susp…

In establishing isolation or quarantine, the municipal or county health officer having jurisdiction shall designate and define the limits of the area within which the infected person is to be isolated or quarantined, and no person other than the attending physician or nurse shall…

(a) (1) No one but a state, municipal, district or county health officer or such officer's duly authorized representative shall establish and terminate quarantine of persons infected with STDs.(2) A decision to establish or terminate quarantine shall be based upon the judgment of…

It is a violation of this chapter for any person infected with a STD to expose another person to such infection.

The county legislative bodies and the city officials, or other boards of the incorporated towns or cities, are empowered to provide suitable places for the detention of persons who may be subjected to isolation or quarantine and who should be segregated under this chapter. County…

(a) The department of health is empowered and directed to make such rules and bylaws for the control of STDs, not in conflict with this chapter, including the reporting of STDs and isolating and quarantining of infected persons, as it may from time to time deem advisable. (b) All…

(a) Whenever in the judgment of the municipal, county or district health officer, there is reasonable clinical or epidemiological evidence to suspect that any person or persons are infected with a STD as defined in this chapter, and the person or persons refuse to be examined as …

Any health officer or any other persons who fail to perform the duties required of them in this chapter, or violate any of the provisions of this chapter, or of any rule or bylaw promulgated under its authority, commit a Class C misdemeanor. Each violation is a separate offense.

(a) Every physician or other person who makes a diagnosis of, treats, or prescribes for a case of STD and every superintendent or manager of a clinic, hospital, laboratory or penal institution, in which there is a case of STD, shall report the case immediately to those persons or…

(1) All records and information held by the department or a local health department relating to known or suspected cases of STDs shall be strictly confidential. This information shall not be released or made public upon subpoena, court order, discovery, search warrant or otherwis…

Except as provided in § 68-10-113, no state or local department officer or employee shall be examined in a civil, criminal, special or other proceeding as to the existence or contents of pertinent records of a person examined or treated for a STD by a state or local health depart…

A person who has a reasonable belief that a person has knowingly exposed another to HIV may inform the potential victim without incurring any liability. A person making such disclosure is immune from liability for making disclosure of the condition to the potential victim.

(a) (1) If, during the course of arresting, transporting, or processing a person charged with the commission of a criminal offense, a law enforcement officer is exposed to the blood or other body fluid of the arrested person in any manner that presents a significant risk of trans…

(a) If, in the course of performing normal, authorized professional job duties, or rendering emergency care as a good samaritan under the Good Samaritan Law, codified in § 63-6-218, a member of one of the categories of individuals listed in subsection (d) reasonably believes that…

(a) Subject to annual appropriations made available to the state by the United States public health service through Part B (Title II) of the Ryan White CARE Act (42 U.S.C. § 300ff-21 et seq.), the commissioner of health shall establish an AIDS Center of Excellence advisory commit…

(a) The health facilities commission shall establish and maintain a registry containing the names of any persons who have been determined by Tennessee government agencies or any state or federal court or any administrative bodies to have abused, neglected, misappropriated or expl…

(1) As used in this part, unless the context requires otherwise:(1) “Abuse” means the willful infliction of injury, unreasonable confinement, intimidation, or punishment with resulting physical harm, pain, or mental anguish;(2) “Criminal disposition” means the disposition of crim…

(a) (1) Any state government agency that finds that an individual has committed abuse, neglect, or misappropriation or exploitation of the property of a vulnerable person shall notify the health facilities commission concerning such individual in accordance with subdivision (a)(2…

(a) Any of the following shall determine whether any prospective employee or volunteer person engaged in providing services to persons subject to this part is listed on the registry before the person is permitted to be employed or provide volunteer services:(1) A state agency und…

(a) Anyone who submits an allegation of abuse, neglect, or misappropriation or exploitation of property to the health facilities commission for inclusion in the registry, or who testifies in any administrative or judicial proceeding arising from the allegation, shall be immune fr…

The executive director of the health facilities commission shall promulgate rules to effectuate the purposes of this part. The rules shall be promulgated in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5.

The purpose of this part is to ensure a more equitable allocation of public financial resources provided for the purpose of off-setting the financial burden placed on hospitals in providing necessary services to medically indigent citizens.

(a) There is created within the state treasury an indigent health care risk fund to be administered by the commissioner of finance and administration, with the approval of the governor. (b) The fund shall allocate the total revenue received by the state pursuant to § 68-11-216, l…

(a) All funds received, appropriated or otherwise coming under [former] § 68-11-216(c) [obsolete] shall be deposited into the state treasury to the credit of the indigent health care risk fund. (b) Any interest earned on such funds shall also be credited to the indigent health ca…

For the purposes of this part and § 68-11-310, “hospital” includes all hospitals owned by local and state governments.

This part shall be known and may be cited as the “Public Costs Savings Act of 1990.”