Title 70 — Title 70 PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY

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 …

The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.(1) "Department" means the department of health.(2) "Health care entity" means an entity that supervises, controls, grants privileges to, directs the practice of, or direct…

(1) If a health care provider is acting in good faith, within the provider's scope of practice, education, training, and experience, including specialty areas of practice and board certification, and within the accepted standard of care, a health care entity may not:(a) Limit the…

A health care entity must provide the information prepared by the department under RCW 43.70.810(1) at the time of hiring, contracting with, or privileging health care providers and staff, and on a yearly basis thereafter. Hospitals must also provide information to clearly inform…

For the purposes of chapters 70.05 and 70.46 RCW and unless the context thereof clearly indicates to the contrary:(1) "Local health departments" means the county or district which provides public health services to persons within the area.(2) "Local health officer" means the lega…

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, for counties without a home rule charter, the board of county commissioners and the members selected under (a) and (e) of this subsection, shall constitute the local board of health, unless the county is part of a health d…

(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, for home rule charter counties, the county legislative authority shall establish a local board of health and may prescribe the membership and selection process for the board. The membership of the local board of health mus…

The local board of health shall elect a chair and may appoint an administrative officer. A local health officer shall be appointed pursuant to RCW 70.05.050. Vacancies on the local board of health shall be filled by appointment within thirty days and made in the same manner as wa…

The administrative officer shall act as executive secretary and administrative officer for the local board of health, and shall be responsible for administering the operations of the board including such other administrative duties required by the local health board, except for d…

The local health officer shall be an experienced physician licensed to practice medicine and surgery or osteopathic medicine and surgery in this state and who is qualified or provisionally qualified in accordance with the standards prescribed in RCW 70.05.051 through 70.05.055 to…

The following persons holding licenses as required by RCW 70.05.050 shall be deemed qualified to hold the position of local health officer:(1) Persons holding the degree of master of public health or its equivalent;(2) Persons not meeting the requirements of subsection (1) of thi…

A person holding a license required by RCW 70.05.050 but not meeting any of the requirements for qualification prescribed by RCW 70.05.051 may be appointed by the board or official responsible for appointing the local health officer under RCW 70.05.050 as a provisionally qualifie…

The secretary of health shall provide an in-service public health orientation program for the benefit of provisionally qualified local health officers.Such program shall consist of—(1) A three months course in public health training conducted by the secretary either in the state …

Each year, on a date which shall be as near as possible to the anniversary date of appointment as provisional local health officer, the secretary of health or his or her designee shall personally visit such provisional officer's office for a personal review and discussion of the …

Each local board of health shall have supervision over all matters pertaining to the preservation of the life and health of the people within its jurisdiction and shall:(1) Enforce through the local health officer or the administrative officer appointed under RCW 70.05.040, if an…

The local health officer, acting under the direction of the local board of health or under direction of the administrative officer appointed under RCW 70.05.040 or 70.05.035, if any, shall:(1) Enforce the public health statutes of the state, rules of the state board of health and…

The local health officer may grant a waiver from specific requirements adopted by the state board of health for on-site sewage systems if:(1) The on-site sewage system for which a waiver is requested is for sewage flows under three thousand five hundred gallons per day;(2) The wa…

(1) The local health officer must respond to the applicant for an on-site sewage system permit within thirty days after receiving a fully completed application. The local health officer must respond that the application is either approved, denied, or pending.(2) If the local heal…

(1) The department of health, in consultation and cooperation with local environmental health officers, shall develop a one-day course to train local environmental health officers, health officers, and environmental health specialists and technicians to address the application of…

If the local board of health or other official responsible for appointing a local health officer under RCW 70.05.050 refuses or neglects to appoint a local health officer after a vacancy exists, the secretary of health may appoint a local health officer and fix the compensation. …

Whenever any physician shall attend any person sick with any dangerous contagious or infectious disease, or with any diseases required by the state board of health to be reported, he or she shall, within twenty-four hours, give notice thereof to the local health officer within wh…

In case of the question arising as to whether or not any person is affected or is sick with a dangerous, contagious or infectious disease, the opinion of the local health officer shall prevail until the state department of health can be notified, and then the opinion of the execu…

It shall be the duty of the local board of health, health authorities or officials, and of physicians in localities where there are no local health authorities or officials, to report to the state board of health, promptly upon discovery thereof, the existence of any one of the f…

(1) Any local health officer or administrative officer appointed under RCW 70.05.040, if any, who shall refuse or neglect to obey or enforce the provisions of chapters 70.05, 70.24, and 70.46 RCW or the rules, regulations or orders of the state board of health or who shall refuse…

All expenses incurred by the state, health district, or county in carrying out the provisions of chapters 70.05 and 70.46 RCW or any other public health law, or the rules of the department of health enacted under such laws, shall be paid by the county and such expenses shall cons…

In addition to powers already granted them, any county, district, or local health department may contract for either the sale or purchase of any or all health services from any local health department.[ 2011 c 27 s 4; 1993 c 492 s 243; 1967 ex.s. c 51 s 22.]Notes:Findings—Intent—…

A local board of health that adopts a moratorium affecting water hookups, sewer hookups, or septic systems without holding a public hearing on the proposed moratorium, shall hold a public hearing on the adopted moratorium within at least sixty days of its adoption. If the board d…

(1)(a) The legislature finds that the mortality rate in Washington state among infants and children less than 19 years of age is unacceptably high, and that such mortality may be preventable. The legislature further finds that, through the performance of child fatality reviews, p…

A person rendering emergency care or transportation, commonly known as a "Good Samaritan," as described in RCW 4.24.300 and 4.24.310, may request and receive appropriate infectious disease testing free of charge from the local health department of the county of her or his residen…

(1) A local board of health in the twelve counties bordering Puget Sound implementing an on-site sewage program management plan may:(a) Impose and collect reasonable rates or charges in an amount sufficient to pay for the actual costs of administration and operation of the on-sit…

Nothing in this chapter prohibits a county from relying on self-inspection of on-site sewage systems consistent with RCW 36.70A.690 or eliminates the requirement that counties protect water quality consistent with RCW 36.70A.070 (1) and (5).[ 2017 c 105 s 3.]

(1) The legislature finds that the mortality rate in Washington state due to overdose, withdrawal related to substance abuse such as opiates, benzodiazepines, and alcohol, and suicide is unacceptably high and that such mortality may be preventable. The legislature further finds t…

The powers and duties of the secretary of social and health services under this chapter shall be performed by the secretary of health.[ 1989 1st ex.s. c 9 s 244.]Notes:Effective date—Severability—1989 1st ex.s. c 9: See RCW 43.70.910 and 43.70.920.

Any city with one hundred thousand or more population and the county in which it is located, are authorized, as shall be agreed upon between the respective governing bodies of such city and said county, to establish and operate a combined city and county health department, and to…

The director of public health is authorized to and shall exercise all powers and perform all duties by law vested in the local health officer.[ 1985 c 124 s 2; 1949 c 46 s 2; Rem. Supp. 1949 s 6099-31.]

Notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary contained in any city or county charter, the director of public health, under this chapter shall meet as a minimum one of the following standards of educational achievement and vocational experience to be qualified for appointment to…

Notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary contained in any city or county charter, where a combined department is established under this chapter, the director of public health under this chapter shall be appointed by the county executive of the county and the mayor of the ci…

Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit the director of public health as provided herein from acting as health officer for any other city or town within the county, nor from acting as health officer in any adjoining county or any city or town within such county having a contract o…

The director of public health under this chapter shall be registrar of vital statistics for all cities and counties under his or her jurisdiction and shall conduct such vital statistics work in accordance with the same laws and/or rules and regulations pertaining to vital statist…

Notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary contained in any city or county charter, and to the extent provided by the city and the county pursuant to appropriate legislative enactment, employees of the combined city and county health department may be included in the personne…

The city by ordinance, and the county by appropriate legislative enactment, under this chapter may pool all or any part of their respective funds available for public health purposes, in the office of the city treasurer or the office of the county treasurer in a special pooling f…

Any other city in said county, other governmental agency or any charitable or health agency may by contract or by agreement with the governing bodies of the combined health department receive public health services.[ 1949 c 46 s 7; Rem. Supp. 1949 s 6099-36.]

Agreement to operate a combined city and county health department made under this chapter may after two years from the date of such agreement, be terminated by either party at the end of any calendar year upon notice in writing given at least six months prior thereto. The termina…

Any expenditures heretofore made by a city of one hundred thousand population or more, and by the county in which it is located, not made fraudulently and which were within the legal limits of indebtedness, towards the expense of maintenance and operation of a combined health dep…

It is declared to be the policy of the legislature of the state of Washington that, wherever feasible, community health services and services for persons with mental illness or intellectual disabilities shall be combined within single facilities in order to provide maximum utiliz…

The term "comprehensive community health center" as used in this chapter shall mean a health facility housing community health, mental health, and developmental disabilities services.[ 1977 ex.s. c 80 s 37; 1967 ex.s. c 4 s 2.]Notes:Purpose—Intent—Severability—1977 ex.s. c 80: Se…

The several agencies of the state authorized to administer within the state the various federal acts providing federal moneys to assist in the cost of establishing facilities for community health and mental health and facilities for persons with intellectual disabilities, are aut…

Any application for federal or state funds to be used for construction of the community health, mental health, or developmental disabilities facility, which will be part of the comprehensive community health center as defined in RCW 70.10.020, shall be separately processed and ap…

The several state agencies processing applications for the construction of comprehensive health centers for community health, mental health, or developmental disability facilities shall cooperate to develop general procedures to be used in implementing the statute and to attempt …

In furtherance of the legislative policy to authorize the state to cooperate with the federal government in facilitating the construction of comprehensive community health centers, the state agencies involved shall adopt such rules and regulations as may become necessary to entit…