Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 50, December 13, 2024
Section 64-73-5 - Basic public health service standards5.1. The board shall provide the following basic public health services: 5.1.1. Community health promotion services standards. 5.1.1.a. The board shall target outreach to create and maintain relationships with diverse partners, which may include but is not limited to, health-related and community-based organizations, community groups representing populations experiencing health inequity, private businesses, health care organizations, and government leaders;5.1.1.b. At least every five years, the board shall conduct or participate in an evaluation of the health needs of the community it serves using generally accepted needs assessment techniques and publicly report the results;5.1.1.c. Every five years, in collaboration with community partners identified in paragraph 5.1.1.a., the board shall initiate or participate in the mobilization of the community to identify and report publicly the health priorities arising from the health assessment, including the analysis of health disparities and social determinants of health; and5.1.1.d. The board shall establish an annual plan to address the priority health needs that define a role for the local health department in the programmatic or policy activities.5.1.2. Communicable and reportable disease service standards. 5.1.2.a. The board shall report, investigate, and control certain diseases and conditions, unusual health events, and clusters or outbreaks of disease through compliance with the requirements of 64CSR7, Reportable Diseases, Events and Conditions and shall provide the following additional services:5.1.2.a.1. Identify and maintain a current directory of local jurisdiction reporting sources;5.1.2.a.2. Ensure reporting sources are provided with a 24-hour emergency contact number for reporting disease conditions, unusual health events, and outbreaks of disease;5.1.2.a.3. Report and investigate within the timeframes for each respective condition and in accordance with 64CSR7 and submit for review infections disease case reports within one month of notification to the Bureau;5.1.2.a.4. Complete and submit all required outbreak reports to the Bureau within three months of the outbreak closing;5.1.2.a.5. Ensure appropriate staff maintain entry and access to training resources for the statewide disease surveillance system for investigation of reportable diseases and conditions, as well as ensure staff who leave the local health department are deprovisioned;5.1.2.a.6. Maintain unexpired laboratory specimen collection supplies to meet routine surveillance and outbreak needs of clinical and environmental specimens for reportable conditions;5.1.2.a.7. Develop and maintain means to communicate health advisories sent by the Bureau among public health partners in local jurisdictions;5.1.2.a.8. Assist in the recruitment of an influenza sentinel provider;5.1.2.a.9. Assure HIV education, counseling and testing, including anonymous testing, is available for at-risk county residents;5.1.2.a.10. Provide HIV risk assessment and counseling for clinic populations (e.g., family planning, tuberculosis, sexually transmitted disease);5.1.2.a.11. Assure that clinical sexually transmitted infections and tuberculosis services such as screening, diagnosis, and treatment, are readily available to all county residents; and5.1.2.a.12. Implement a mechanism to educate private health care providers on reporting and management of sexually transmitted infections.5.1.2.b. The board shall investigate and control tuberculosis through compliance with the requirements of 64CSR76, Tuberculosis Testing, Control, Treatment and Commitment, and the ensure following additional services: 5.1.2.b.1. Designate a nurse to manage all tuberculosis cases;5.1.2.b.2. Initiate an epidemiological investigation within three days of notification of active disease or notification that any child has a positive tuberculin skin test reaction, regardless of whether active disease is present;5.1.2.b.3. Offer screening and necessary follow-up examination to all close contacts of infectious tuberculosis cases;5.1.2.b.4. Collect appropriate specimens for submission to the Office of Laboratory Services on the initial isolate from all the tuberculosis cases reported in the county, including those diagnosed by private providers;5.1.2.b.5. Offer recommended tuberculosis preventative therapy to all infected contacts as indicated;5.1.2.b.6. Assure that healthcare professionals seeing tuberculosis patients have current treatment guidelines and set up coordination between the private provider and the state tuberculosis control program for all active tuberculosis cases.5.1.2.b.7. Provide directly observed therapy (DOT) for all active tuberculosis cases and provide DOT for latent tuberculosis cases as directed by state tuberculosis control program; and5.1.2.b.8. Offer screening services for tuberculosis infections to residents who fall into high-risk groups. Institutions are responsible for their own screening programs.5.1.3. Environmental health protection standards.5.1.3.a. The local board shall promote a safe and healthy environment, and maintenance of clean and safe air, water, food, and facilities through a program of routine public health environmental education and control;5.1.3.b. The board shall administer public health sanitation rules as specified by the Commissioner with regard to: 5.1.3.b.1. Public drinking water sanitation, W. Va. Code § 16-2-11(a)(1)(B);5.1.3.b.2. Sewer Systems, Sewage Treatment Systems, and Sewage Tank Cleaners, 64CSR9 and Sewage Treatment and Collection System Design Standards, 64CSR47;5.1.3.b.3. Food Establishments, 64CSR17;5.1.3.b.4. Child Care Centers, 64CSR21;5.1.3.b.5. Recreational Water Facilities, 64CSR16;5.1.3.b.6. General Sanitation, 64CSR18;5.1.3.b.7. Water Well Regulations, 64CSR19, and Water Well Design Standards, 64CSR46;5.1.3.b.8. Manufactured Home Communities, 64CSR40;5.1.3.b.9. Body Piercing Studio Business, 64CSR80;5.1.3.b.10. Tattoo studio business sanitation, W. Va. Code § 16-38-2;5.1.3.b.11. Nuisances affecting public health, W. Va. Code § 16-3-6;5.1.3.b.12. Fees for Permits, 64CSR30;5.1.3.b.13. Local disaster sanitation; and5.1.3.b.14. Environmental health investigation related to disease control.5.1.4. Immunization service standards. 5.1.4.c. All vaccine adverse events should be reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) and the West Virginia Poison Control Center.5.1.5. Threat preparedness standards. 5.1.5.a. The board of health shall implement and maintain a threat preparedness program that ensures the delivery of core public health activities during local or statewide public health emergency response events, or both, and includes the following: 5.1.5.a.1. Maintain a public health all-hazards emergency operations plan that is updated and renewed annually;5.1.5.a.2. Ensure a continuity of operations plan is in place and can be implemented, including a plan of succession, that is reviewed and updated annually;5.1.5.a.3. Maintain and implement a process for urgent 24-hour communications with response partners; and