Emergency service members and exposure to infectious diseases. Definitions. Designated officers. Duties of hospital. Request for notification. Immunity from liability - Conn. Gen. Stat. § 19a-904

Hospitals, upon diagnosing a case of infectious pulmonary tuberculosis, must notify any emergency service organization that had contact with the patient verbally within 48 hours of making the diagnosis and in writing within 72 hours.  The notice must include the diagnosis and the date of contact with the patient, but may not include the patient’s identity. If a hospital determines that a patient that died prior to arriving at the hospital had infectious pulmonary tuberculosis, the hospital must notify any emergency service organization that had contact with the patient within 48 hours of making the determination. 

Emergency service responders must report suspected exposure to an infectious disease to a person designated by the their emergency service organization to receive such reports. If, following an investigation into the report, this “designated officer” believes the responder was exposed to an infection disease, the officer must make a written request to receive notice of test results from the hospital that received the patient. Hospitals that receive a request must give notice of a positive infectious disease test verbally within 48 hours of receiving the request and in writing within 3 days. Hospitals may not include the patients name when making such notice. A request for test results remains valid for 10 days. Hospitals must notify the designated officer at the end of this 10 day period if they have not tested for infectious diseases, made a diagnosis, or received a negative test result.

Hospitals that receive a request for test results regarding a deceased patient must send a copy of the request to the facility investigating the patient’s death.