(a) The State Department of Health Services shall make available protocols and guidelines developed by the National Institutes of Health, the University of California at San Francisco, and California legislative advisory committees on hepatitis C for educating physicians and health professionals and training community service providers on the most recent scientific and medical information on hepatitis C detection, transmission, diagnosis, treatment, and therapeutic decisionmaking.
(b) The guidelines referenced in subdivision (a) may include, but not be limited to, all of the following:
(1) Tracking and reporting of both acute and chronic cases of hepatitis C by public health officials.
(2) A cost-efficient plan to screen the prison population and the medically indigent population in California.
(3) Protocols within the Department of Corrections to enable that department to provide appropriate prevention and treatment to prisoners with hepatitis C.
(4) Protocols for the education of correctional peace officers and other correctional workers who work with prisoners with hepatitis C.
(5) Protocols for public safety and health care workers who come in contact with hepatitis C patients.
(6) Surveillance programs to determine the prevalence of hepatitis C in ethnic and other high-risk populations.
(7) Education and outreach programs for high-risk individuals, including, but not limited to, individuals who received blood transfusions prior to 1992, hemophiliacs, veterans, women who underwent a caesarian section or premature delivery prior to 1990, persons who received an organ transplant prior to 1990, persons who receive invasive cosmetic procedures, including body piercing and tattooing, students, minority communities, and any other categories of persons at high risk for hepatitis C infection as determined by the director. Education and outreach programs shall be targeted to high-risk individuals as determined by the director. Education programs may provide information and referral on hepatitis C including, but not limited to, education materials developed by health-related companies, community-based or national advocacy organizations, counseling, patient support groups, and existing hotlines for consumers.
(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require the department to develop or produce any protocol, guideline, or proposal.
(Amended by Stats. 2000, Ch. 754, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2001.)