(a) The chief medical officer shall, regardless of whether a report filed pursuant to Section 7510 contains a request for HIV or hepatitis B or C testing, decide whether or not to require HIV or hepatitis B or C testing of the inmate or other person who is the subject of the report filed pursuant to Section 7510, within 24 hours of receipt of the report. If the chief medical officer decides to require HIV or hepatitis B or C testing, he or she shall specify in his or her decision the circumstances, if any, under which followup testing will also be required.
(b) The chief medical officer shall order an HIV or hepatitis B or C test only if he or she finds that, considering all of the facts and circumstances, there is a significant risk that HIV or hepatitis B or C was transmitted. In making this decision, the chief medical officer shall take the following factors into consideration:
(1) Whether an exchange of bodily fluids occurred which could have resulted in a significant risk of AIDS or hepatitis B or C infection, based on the latest written guidelines and standards established by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the State Department of Health Services.
(2) Whether the person exhibits medical conditions or clinical findings consistent with HIV or hepatitis B or C infection.
(3) Whether the health of the institution staff or inmates may have been endangered as to HIV or hepatitis B or C infection resulting from the reported incident.
(c) Prior to reaching a decision, the chief medical officer may if needed receive written or oral testimony from the law enforcement employee filing the report, from the subject of the report, and from witnesses to the incident, as he or she deems necessary for a complete investigation. The decision shall be in writing and shall state the reasons for the decision. A copy shall be provided by the chief medical officer to the law enforcement employee who filed the report and to the subject of the report, and where the subject is a minor, to the parents or guardian of the minor, unless the parent or guardian of the minor cannot be located.
(Amended by Stats. 2006, Ch. 800, Sec. 5. Effective January 1, 2007.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018