42 U.S. Code § 247b–15. Surveillance and education regarding infections associated with illicit drug use and other risk factors

(a) In general

The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, may (directly or through grants to public and nonprofit private entities) provide for programs for the following:

(1) To cooperate with States and Indian tribes in implementing or maintaining a national system to determine the incidence of infections commonly associated with illicit drug use, such as viral hepatitis, human immunodeficiency virus, and infective endocarditis, and to assist the States in determining the prevalence of such infections, which may include the reporting of cases of such infections.

(2) To identify, counsel, and offer testing to individuals who are at risk of infections described in paragraph (1) resulting from illicit drug use, receiving blood transfusions prior to July 1992, or other risk factors.

(3) To provide appropriate referrals for counseling, testing, and medical treatment of individuals identified under paragraph (2) and to ensure, to the extent practicable, the provision of appropriate follow-up services.

(4) To develop and disseminate public information and education programs for the detection and control of infections described in paragraph (1), with priority given to high-risk populations as determined by the Secretary.

(5) To improve the education, training, and skills of health professionals in the detection and control of infections described in paragraph (1), including to improve coordination of treatment of substance use disorders and infectious diseases, with priority given to substance use disorder treatment providers, pediatricians and other primary care providers, obstetrician-gynecologists, and infectious disease clinicians, including HIV clinicians.

(b) Laboratory procedures

The Secretary may (directly or through grants to public and nonprofit private entities) carry out programs to provide for improvements in the quality of clinical-laboratory procedures regarding infections described in subsection (a)(1).

(c) Definition

In this section, the term “Indian tribe” has the meaning given that term in section 5304 of title 25.

(d) Authorization of appropriations

For the purpose of carrying out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated $40,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2019 through 2023.

(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title III, § 317N, as added Pub. L. 106–310, div. A, title XVIII, § 1801, Oct. 17, 2000, 114 Stat. 1152; amended Pub. L. 115–271, title VII, § 7141, Oct. 24, 2018, 132 Stat. 4056.)

Amendments

2018—Pub. L. 115–271 amended section generally. Prior to amendment, section related to surveillance and education regarding hepatitis C virus.

Study and Demonstration Projects Regarding Cases of Hepatitis C Among Certain Emergency Response Employees

Pub. L. 106–398, § 1 [[div. A], title XVII, § 1704], Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1654, 1654A–365, provided that:

“(a)Study Regarding Prevalence Among Certain Emergency Response Employees.—

“(1)In general.—

The Secretary of Health and Human Services (referred to in this section as the ‘Secretary’), in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, shall conduct a study to determine—

“(A) an estimate of the prevalence of hepatitis C among designated emergency response employees in the United States; and

“(B) the likely means through which such employees become infected with such disease in the course of performing their duties as such employees.

“(2)Designated emergency response employees.—

For purposes of this section, the term ‘designated emergency response employees’ means firefighters, paramedics, and emergency medical technicians who are employees or volunteers of units of local government.

“(3)Date certain for completion; to .—

The Secretary shall commence the study under paragraph (1) not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Oct. 30, 2000]. Not later than one year after such date, the Secretary shall complete the study and submit to the Congress a report describing the findings of the study.

“(b)Demonstration Projects Regarding Training and Treatment.—

“(1)In general.—

The Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, shall make grants to qualifying local governments for the purpose of carrying out demonstration projects that (directly or through arrangements with nonprofit private entities) carry out each of the following activities:

“(A) Training designated emergency response employees in minimizing the risk of infection with hepatitis C in performing their duties as such employees.

“(B) Testing such employees for infection with the disease.

“(C) Treating the employees for the disease.

“(2)Qualifying local governments.—

For purposes of this section, the term ‘qualifying local government’ means a unit of local government whose population of designated emergency response employees has a prevalence of hepatitis C that is not less than 200 percent of the national average for the prevalence of such disease in such populations.

“(3)Confidentiality.—

A grant may be made under paragraph (1) only if the qualifying local government involved agrees to ensure that information regarding the testing or treatment of designated emergency response employees pursuant to the grant is maintained confidentially in a manner not inconsistent with applicable law.

“(4)Evaluations.—

The Secretary shall provide for an evaluation of each demonstration project under paragraph (1) in order to determine the extent to which the project has been effective in carry [sic] out the activities described in such paragraph.

“(5)Report to .—

Not later than 180 days after the date on which all grants under paragraph (1) have been expended, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report providing—

“(A) a summary of evaluations under paragraph (4); and

“(B) the recommendations of the Secretary for administrative or legislative initiatives regarding the activities described in paragraph (1).

“(c)Authorization of Appropriations.—

For the purpose of carrying out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Labor $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2001.”