ARIZONA STATE
SENATE
Fifty-Fourth
Legislature, Second Regular Session
DHS;
enhanced surveillance; public health
Purpose
Allows the Governor to issue an Enhanced Surveillance Advisory if there is reasonable cause to believe that an illness, health condition or clinical syndrome caused by an emerging public health threat has occurred or may occur.
Background
Statute authorizes the Director of the Arizona Department
of Health Services (DHS) to define and prescribe emergency measures for
detecting, reporting, preventing and controlling communicable or infectious
diseases if there is a threat to the public’s health and welfare. Emergency
measures prescribed by DHS are effective for no longer than 18 months. (A.R.S. § 36‑136). DHS is required to coordinate all matters pertaining to
Arizona's public health emergency response during a state of emergency or state
of war emergency declared by the Governor in which there is an occurrence or
imminent threat of an illness or health condition caused by bioterrorism, an
epidemic or pandemic disease or a highly fatal infectious agent or biological
toxin, and that poses a substantial risk of a significant number of human
fatalities or incidents of permanent or long-term disability (A.R.S. § 36-787).
Additionally, statute allows the Governor, in consultation with the DHS Director, to issue an Enhanced Surveillance Advisory if the Governor has reasonable cause to believe that an illness, health condition or clinical syndrome caused by bioterrorism, epidemic, or pandemic disease or a highly fatal and highly infectious agent or biological toxin has or may occur or that there is a public event that could reasonably be the object of a bioterrorism event (A.R.S. § 36-782). An Enhanced Surveillance Advisory must prescribe: 1) the individuals and entities required to report; 2) the clinical syndromes, any illness or health condition that may be associated with bioterrorism or a specific illness or health condition to be reported; 3) patient tracking; 4) information sharing; and 5) specimen testing coordination (A.R.S. § 36-782).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Allows the Governor to issue an Enhanced Surveillance Advisory if there is reasonable cause to believe that a public health issue caused by an emerging public health threat has occurred or may occur.
3. Requires DHS and local health authorities to meet with representatives and institutions affected by an Enhanced Surveillance Advisory within 72 hours after issuance, if DHS and local health authorities are unable to meet prior to issuance of the Enhanced Surveillance Advisory due to an immediate or emerging public health threat.
4. Changes the time period to submit a report of any circumstance specified in an Enhanced Surveillance Advisory from within 24 hours after identifying the circumstance to within a time period specified by DHS of at least 24 hours after identifying the circumstance.
5. Makes technical changes.
6. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Prepared by Senate
Research
January 17, 2020
CRS/KS/gs