(1) The county, district, or municipal public health agency; a public health or school nurse under the supervision of a licensed physician or physician assistant authorized under section 12-240-107 (6); or the department of public health and environment, in the absence of a county, district, or municipal public health agency or public health nurse, shall provide, at public expense to the extent that funds are available, immunizations required by this part 9 to each child whose parents or guardians cannot afford to have the child immunized or, if emancipated, who cannot himself or herself afford immunization and who has not been exempted. The department of public health and environment shall provide all vaccines necessary to comply with this section as far as funds will permit. Nothing in this section precludes the department of public health and environment from distributing vaccines to physicians, advanced practice nurses, or others as required by law or the rules of the department. No indigent child shall be excluded, suspended, or expelled from school unless the immunizations have been available and readily accessible to the child at public expense.
(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of this part 9 to the contrary, programs and services that provide immunizations to children for communicable diseases shall be available to a child regardless of his or her race, religion, gender, ethnicity, national origin, or immigration status.
Source: L. 78: Entire part R&RE, p. 428, § 1, effective April 4. L. 94: Entire section amended, p. 2767, § 451, effective July 1. L. 2006, 1st Ex. Sess.: Entire section amended, p. 26, § 5, effective July 31. L. 2008: (1) amended, p. 133, § 18, effective January 1, 2009. L. 2010: (1) amended, (HB 10-1422), ch. 419, p. 2094, § 98, effective August 11. L. 2016: (1) amended, (SB 16-158), ch. 204, p. 728, § 20, effective August 10. L. 2019: (1) amended, (HB 19-1172), ch. 136, p. 1703, § 159, effective October 1.
Editor's note: This section is similar to former § 25-4-906 as it existed prior to 1978.
Cross references: For the legislative declaration contained in the 1994 act amending this section, see section 1 of chapter 345, Session Laws of Colorado 1994. For the legislative declaration in SB 16-158, see section 1 of chapter 204, Session Laws of Colorado 2016.