Title 70 — Title 70 PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY

The powers and duties of the department of social and health services, the department of licensing, and the secretary of social and health services under this chapter shall be performed by the department of health and the secretary of health.[ 1989 1st ex.s. c 9 s 247.]Notes:Effe…

The legislature declares that sexually transmitted diseases and blood-borne pathogens constitute a serious and sometimes fatal threat to the public and individual health and welfare of the people of the state. The legislature finds that the incidence of sexually transmitted disea…

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter:(1) "Blood-borne pathogen" means a pathogenic microorganism that is present in human blood and can cause disease in humans, including hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus,…

(1) The board shall adopt rules authorizing interviews and the state and local public health officers and their authorized representatives may interview, or cause to be interviewed, all persons infected with a sexually transmitted disease and all persons who, in accordance with s…

(1) Subject to the provisions of this chapter, the state and local health officers or their authorized representatives may examine and counsel persons reasonably believed to be infected with or to have been exposed to a sexually transmitted disease.(2)(a) The state or a local hea…

A person who violates or fails to comply with a health order issued under RCW 70.24.024 is guilty of a gross misdemeanor punishable by confinement until the order has been complied with or terminated, up to a maximum period of three hundred sixty-four days. In lieu of confinement…

(1) It is unlawful for a person who knows that he or she has HIV to have sexual intercourse if:(a) The person has been counseled by a health care provider or public health professional regarding the risk of transmitting HIV to others;(b) The partner or partners exposed to HIV thr…

(1) When the procedures of RCW 70.24.024 have been exhausted and the state or local public health officer, within his or her respective jurisdiction, knows or has reason to believe, because of medical information, that a person has a sexually transmitted disease and that the pers…

Diagnosis of a sexually transmitted disease in every instance must be confirmed by laboratory tests or examinations in a laboratory approved or conducted in accordance with procedures and such other requirements as may be established by the board. Laboratories testing for HIV sha…

For the purpose of carrying out this chapter, the board shall have the power and authority to designate facilities for the detention and treatment of persons found to be infected with a sexually transmitted disease and to designate any such facility in any hospital or other publi…

Except as provided in RCW 70.24.025 and 70.24.027, any person who violates any of the provisions of this chapter or any rule adopted by the board under this chapter, or who fails or refuses to obey any lawful order issued by any state, county or municipal health officer under thi…

(1) Any person aggrieved by a violation of this chapter shall have a right of action in superior court and may recover for each violation:(a) Against any person who negligently violates a provision of this chapter, one thousand dollars, or actual damages, whichever is greater, fo…

Every physician attending a pregnant woman in the state of Washington during gestation shall, in the case of each woman so attended, take or cause to be taken a sample of blood of such woman at the time of first examination, and submit such sample to an approved laboratory for a …

A minor fourteen years of age or older who may have come in contact with any sexually transmitted disease or suspected sexually transmitted disease may give consent to the furnishing of hospital, medical, and surgical care related to the diagnosis or treatment of such disease; an…

(1) Notwithstanding any other law, a health care provider who diagnoses a case of sexually transmitted chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, or other sexually transmitted infection, as determined by the department or recommended in the most recent federal centers for disease cont…

(1) Disease case investigators, upon specific authorization from a physician or by a physician's standing order, are hereby authorized to gather specimens, including through performance of venipuncture or fingerstick puncture, from a person for the sole purpose of obtaining speci…

(1) The board shall adopt such rules as are necessary to implement and enforce this chapter, including, but not limited to, rules:(a) Establishing procedures for taking appropriate action, in addition to any other penalty under this chapter, with regard to health care facilities …

Members of the state board of health and local boards of health, public health officers, and employees of the department of health and local health departments are immune from civil action for damages arising out of the good faith performance of their duties as prescribed by this…

The legislature finds that the public schools provide a unique and appropriate setting for educating young people about the pathology and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases. The legislature recognizes that schools and communities vary throughout the state and that locall…

The superintendent of public instruction shall adopt rules that require appropriate education and training, to be included as part of their present continuing education requirements, for public school employees on the prevention, transmission, and treatment of blood-borne pathoge…

(1) This section shall apply to consent for blood-borne pathogen testing administered as part of an application for coverage authorized under Title 48 RCW.(2) Persons subject to regulation under Title 48 RCW who are requesting an insured, a subscriber, or a potential insured or s…

A law enforcement officer, firefighter, health care provider, health care facility staff person, department of corrections' staff person, jail staff person, or person employed in other categories of employment to be at risk of exposure that presents a possible risk of transmissio…

Jail administrators, with the approval of the local health officer, may order blood-borne pathogen testing for a person detained in the jail if the local health officer determines that the detainee's behavior exposed the staff, general public, or other persons, and that exposure …

(1) The chief medical officer of the department of corrections may order blood-borne pathogen testing for an inmate if the chief medical officer or his or her designee determines that the inmate's behavior exposed the staff, general public, or other inmates, and that exposure pre…

(1) The secretary of health shall direct that all state or federal funds, excluding those from federal Title XIX for services or other activities authorized in this chapter, shall be allocated to the office on AIDS established in *RCW 70.24.250. The secretary shall further direct…

Nothing in this chapter may be construed to require additional local funding of programs to treat communicable disease established as of March 23, 1988.[ 1988 c 206 s 919.]

Nothing in this chapter is intended to create a state-mandated liberty interest of any nature for offenders or inmates confined in department of corrections facilities or subject to the jurisdiction of the department of corrections.[ 1988 c 206 s 920.]

(1) In order to assure compliance with the protections under this chapter and the rules of the board, and to assure public confidence in the confidentiality of reported information, the department shall:(a) Report annually to the board any incidents of unauthorized disclosure by …

For the purposes of this chapter, the terms spouse, marriage, marital, husband, wife, widow, widower, next of kin, and family shall be interpreted as applying equally to state registered domestic partnerships or individuals in state registered domestic partnerships as well as to …