(a) During the postpartum period, before discharging a newborn child, a hospital shall provide parents with educational information on pertussis disease. The information provided to parents shall contain the following statement:
Pertussis, whooping cough, can cause serious illness in infants, children, and adults and can even be life-threatening, especially in infants. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the most effective way to prevent pertussis is through vaccination of both children and parents. For more information on protecting your child by obtaining the pertussis vaccination please contact your physician, county health department, or the Alabama Department of Public Health.
(b) Nothing in this section shall require any hospital to provide or pay for any vaccination against pertussis.
(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to establish a standard of care for hospitals or physicians or otherwise modify, amend, or supersede any provision of the Alabama Medical Liability Act of 1987 or the Alabama Medical Liability Act of 1996, or any amendment thereto, or any judicial interpretation thereof.
(d) Physicians and hospitals, as hospitals are defined in Section 22-21-20, shall not have legal liability or responsibility for claims resulting from providing or failing to provide the pertussis information required pursuant to subsection (a).
Last modified: May 3, 2021