415 Changes to spousal notification policies and guidelines under section 8(a) of the Ryan White CARE Reauthorization Act of 1996

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

Changes to Spousal Notification Policies and Guidelines under Section 8(a) of the Ryan White CARE Reauthorization Act of 1996

[27 Pa.B. 1406]

   Section 8(a) of the 1996 Federal Ryan White CARE Reauthorization Act (P. L. 104--146), requires that states, in order to receive funding under the act, take ''administrative or legislative action to require that a good faith effort be made to notify a spouse of a known HIV-infected patient that such spouse may have been exposed to the human immunodeficiency virus and should seek testing.'' 42 U.S.C.A. § 300ff-27a(a). A spouse is defined by this law as, ''any individual who is the marriage partner of an HIV-infected patient or who has been the marriage partner of that patient at any time within the 10-year period prior to diagnosis of HIV infection.'' 42 U.S.C.A. § 300ff-27a(b)(i). The Department of Health, Bureau of HIV/AIDS, has revised its existing partner notification policies and guidelines to comply with this new requirement. This policy revision will go into effect on April 1, 1997. Persons who have any questions regarding this change of policy, or who have a disability and require an alternative format of this information (for example, large print, audio tape, braille), should contact Susan Harding, Department of Health, P. O. Box 90, Harrisburg, PA 17108, Bureau of HIV/AIDS, [phone]; TDD [phone].

DANIEL F. HOFFMANN, FACHE,   
Acting Secretary

[Pa.B. Doc. No. 97-415. Filed for public inspection March 14, 1997, 9:00 a.m.]