30:4-7.8 Blood testing required upon admission; information; guidelines for treatment.
2. a. An adult patient who is admitted for treatment at a State psychiatric hospital shall be required, upon admission, to submit to blood testing for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and sexually transmitted diseases, as determined by the Commissioner of Human Services. The guardian, or the patient at a time appropriate to the patient's psychiatric condition, shall be provided with information and counseling regarding the benefits of being tested for HIV infection. The guardian, or patient, shall then be presented with the option of HIV testing.
b. The Commissioner of Human Services shall develop guidelines for the treatment and confinement of a patient who tests positive to any disease specified in subsection a. of this section, in consultation with the Commissioner of Health and Senior Services, and in accordance with recommended protocols established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the United States Public Health Services.
c. All employees at a State psychiatric hospital shall be trained to use universal precautions to avoid infection with any sexually transmitted disease, hepatitis B or hepatitis C.
L.1997,c.361,s.2.