Ryan White CARE Act

[catscratch]

How does the Ryan White Care Act pertain to firefighters and EMS personnel?

[mitllesmertz1]

Ryan who?
Really, it has little or no effect on our daily operations.

[medicmaster]

As mittle stated...it has little effect on our day to day operations.

If I remember correctly, the Ryan White Act prohibits healthcare workers from refusing to treat a patient known to be infected with HIV.

We are already required to treat patients under duty to act, so really it is a moot point for us.

[Ltmdepas3280]

As mittle stated...it has little effect on our day to day operations.

If I remember correctly, the Ryan White Act prohibits healthcare workers from refusing to treat a patient known to be infected with HIV.

We are already required to treat patients under duty to act, so really it is a moot point for us.

NO!

The Ryan White act allows professional rescuers an avenue to access to specific health information about our patients ( ex: aids, hepititis)so that post exposure treatment can be provided to us if needed

[mitllesmertz1]

NO!

The Ryan White act allows professional rescuers an avenue to access to specific health information about our patients ( ex: aids, hepititis)so that post exposure treatment can be provided to us if needed


Um, we must be reading different things:

The Ryan White CARE Act
What Each Section of the Act Covers

Title I provides assistance to Eligible Metropolitan Areas (EMAs) with the largest numbers of reported AIDS cases to meet the emergency primary care and supportive service needs of people with HIV.

Title II provides funds to States and territories for primary health care, including medications through the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) and to improve the quality, availability, and organization of healthcare and support services for people with HIV and their families.

Title III supports medical care and early intervention services to people with HIV through grants to public and non-profit organizations such as Community and Migrant Health Centers.

Title IV supports services and access to research for children, youth, and women with HIV and their families.

Part F:


AIDS Education and Training Centers (AETC), regional centers that offer trainings for healthcare providers and other people who provide AIDS-related services;

Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS), a health services demonstration, research, and evaluation program to identify innovative models of care; and

Dental Reimbursement Program, which helps cover dental expenses incurred by people with HIV that aren't otherwise covered.

http://www.thebody.com/index/financial/ryanwhite_assist.html

http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/1998pres/981218d.html

(The internet is your friend, use it).

Seems pretty clear, there is no reference whatsoever to information sharing.

I fear you may be misunderstainding the Ryan White C.A.R.E ACT.

It is Federal level funding for HIV/AIDs related care.

So again, it has little or no bearing on my daily duties.

[Ltmdepas3280]

Um, we must be reading different things:
[I]
[B]The Ryan White CARE Act
(The internet is your friend, use it).

Seems pretty clear, there is no reference whatsoever to information sharing.

I fear you may be misunderstainding the Ryan White C.A.R.E ACT.

It is Federal level funding for HIV/AIDs related care.

So again, it has little or no bearing on my daily duties.



Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act
of 1990, Subtitle B - Emergency Response Employee Notification
Summary
The Ryan White CARE Act, Subtitle B contains provisions for the notification of emergency
response personnel exposed to infectious diseases while attending, treating, assisting, or
transporting a victim. The law provides for emergency response employee notification following
a documented exposure to blood or body fluids, verified by the receiving hospital. It also provides
for automatic notification of the emergency response employee if the transported patient is found
to have infectious tuberculosis. This notification by the medical facility must be made to the
designated officer in writing as soon as possible, but within a period not exceeding 48 hours after
the receipt of the request by the designated officer. The designated officer will then inform the
employee or employees involved of the determination.
The guidelines include the infectious diseases covered and their mode of transmission. These
diseases are only those which are life-threatening by carrying a substantial risk of death if acquired
by a healthy, susceptible host, and the disease can be transmitted from person to person. The
diseases covered by the exposure notification guidelines as listed in Part II are:
• Infectious pulmonary tuberculosis • Hemorrhagic fevers
• Hepatitis B • Meningococcal disease
• HIV, including AIDS • Plague
• Diphtheria • Rabies
The guidelines detail the manner in which medical facilities must determine whether emergency
personnel were exposed to an infectious disease. If an emergency response employee believes he
or she was exposed to blood or blood products of a patient during the performance of normal job
duties, the designated officer must investigate the incident. If the designated officer determines
through investigation an exposure was sustained then a signed written request can be submitted
to the receiving hospital for notification of the patient’s infectious status. This must be performed
within 48 hours.
The designated officer must provide all collected information regarding the exposure to the medical
facility. It is ultimately the receiving medical facility’s responsibility to verify and establish the
possibility of an exposure to the emergency response employee. If the medical facility has found
insufficient evidence exists to determine an exposure, they must notify the designated officer in
writing within 48 hours. The designated officer may further pursue the determination of an
exposure through a request of the public health officer in the community. If warranted, the public
health officer may resubmit the request to the medical facility.
This act does not authorize or require a medical facility to test any such victim for any infectious
disease, nor can this act be construed to authorize any emergency response employee to fail to
respond, or to deny services, to any victim of an emergency.
States that already have notification laws that are at least as comprehensive as the federal
notification law must apply for a waiver from the federal government. If the state does not apply
for a waiver, the federal notification law will be used in place of the state notification law.
Subtitle B of the Ryan White CARE Act applies to all emergency response employees (fire fighters,
paramedics, and EMTs) throughout the United States. The geographic location of an exposed ERE
(such as within an OSHA state plan state) does not affect the applicability of this law.
Action Items
• Each employer of emergency response employees in the state must have selected one
designated officer responsible for coordinating requests for and responses of notification,
investigating exposure incidents to obtain sufficient information, and who is bound to rules
of confidentiality regarding the infectious status of the emergency responder and the victim.
In other words, each department, as employer, must have a designated officer. The local
should take an active role in recommending to the fire department a suitable individual for
this position.
• The receiving medical facilities must have in place procedures for responding to written
requests from designated officers regarding the determination of exposure to the diseases
covered under this Act.
• The receiving medical facilities must have in place procedures for automatically notifying
the designated officer of any emergency responders who have transported a victim found
to have infectious pulmonary tuberculosis. This notification must be provided within 48
hours of determining the victim’s tuberculosis status.
• Your department must have in place procedures by which you, as an emergency response
employee, can make requests to the designated officer regarding a suspected exposure
incident. In addition, procedures must be in place by which the designated officer can
properly handle all such requests regarding exposure.
• Your local public health agency must also have in place procedures for handling requests
for exposure incident evaluation from designated officers.
• Your state public health officer should have received the list of potentially life-threatening
diseases and the exposure guidelines for such diseases from the Secretary of Health and
Human Services.
• Your local is entitled to the list of potentially life-threatening diseases and exposure
guidelines.
• Your state or municipality must be aware of the procedures adopted by the Secretary of
Health and Human Services for handling allegations of violations of the exposure notification
process.


The Internet is my friend:cool:

I am my departments Ryan White designated officer

[mitllesmertz1]

my most sincere, heartfelt apologies.
I apparently failed to scroll through 7 pages of document to get to subsection B.
Since you are the Ryan White Officer (do you get a hat with that?), why don't you let us know how it affects your daily operations, since the lack of an overwhelming response to this thread would indicate that it might not be as important to others.

If you had simply asked, "Do you have a written exposure policy?" most of us would have said "yes".
Calling it the "Ryan White C.A.R.E Act subsection B" makes it a little more esoteric.
But at least it makes you an Officer, which is more than I can say.

[the1141man]

Mittle, you're such a smartass, Bro... the only problem sometimes is deciding whether to dropkick you or hug you. ;) :D

To answer the question, though, Ryan White doesn't have much of anything to do with us...this area doesn't have a real problem with hepatitis, AIDS, tuberculosis, or hemmorhagic fevers. In 6 yrs of bein an EMT, and nearly 3 of bein an FF, I have yet to have an exposure to any of those pathogens. I do, however, appreciate the idea behind it....after all, it'll be nice to know when to bend over and kiss my *** goodbye. ;) LOL

[Ltmdepas3280]

You are apparently has much of a wind bag has most EMS people are too!

[DeputyMarshal]

Ryan who?
Really, it has little or no effect on our daily operations.

Only if your daily operations have nothing to do with EMS and/or you never treat any patients.

If there are actually any EMTs out there who aren't at least familiar with the basics of the Ryan White Act with regard to disease exposure then EMT training must be going to hell in a handbasket.

[DaSharkie]

To answer the question, though, Ryan White doesn't have much of anything to do with us...this area doesn't have a real problem with hepatitis, AIDS, tuberculosis, or hemmorhagic fevers. In 6 yrs of bein an EMT, and nearly 3 of bein an FF, I have yet to have an exposure to any of those pathogens. I do, however, appreciate the idea behind it....after all, it'll be nice to know when to bend over and kiss my *** goodbye. ;) LOL


Don't be so sure. Lots of people have HIV or hepatitis. 1/4-1/3 of people with HIV do not know they have it. And half - YES HALF - of all new HIV diagnoses are people UNDER the age of 25.

There is also a large growing population of elderly HIV patients in retirement communities. Especially since the advent of the ED medications.

People with HIV and hepatitis are EVERYWHERE. Trust me.

As for tuberculosis - while it is not as widely spread as it used to be, it is still out there. Prison populations, homeless, close living quarters, large immigrant populations.......Do not be fooled or you increase your chances of complacency.

[DrParasite]

Amazingly enough, my partner and I were recently on a cardiac arrest, and he took a shot of vomit out of an ET tube and caught him in the eye (hence his new nickname "moneyshot").

anyways, the hospital did all the tests on my partner, but because the patient died (but he was still in the ED bed), the hospital wouldn't do any tests on him for blood borne diseases. He has to contact the coroner's office to see if they will do anything. so in case he was infected with who knows what, the hospital won't test him to protect the health and safety of their employee. HIV, Hep B, or any other BBP, and my partner has to play the wait and see game.

ain't it cool?

[emt161]

How does the Ryan White Care Act pertain to firefighters and EMS personnel?

Apparently somebody didn't pay attention on Day 2 of EMT school.

[the1141man]

Don't be so sure. Lots of people have HIV or hepatitis. 1/4-1/3 of people with HIV do not know they have it. And half - YES HALF - of all new HIV diagnoses are people UNDER the age of 25.

There is also a large growing population of elderly HIV patients in retirement communities. Especially since the advent of the ED medications.

People with HIV and hepatitis are EVERYWHERE. Trust me.

As for tuberculosis - while it is not as widely spread as it used to be, it is still out there. Prison populations, homeless, close living quarters, large immigrant populations.......Do not be fooled or you increase your chances of complacency.

Sharkie: that entire post....written tongue-in-cheek. Let's just say that I've yet to receive a notification that I may've been exposed to something.... doesn't necessarily mean that I haven't been exposed, just that I haven't been told about it.
Thankfully, the Guard makes me cough up some blood every year to make sure I don't have any methyl-ethyl bad-disease crawlin around in me. Hell, they do it for free, even. ;)

[DaSharkie]

Sharkie: that entire post....written tongue-in-cheek. Let's just say that I've yet to receive a notification that I may've been exposed to something.... doesn't necessarily mean that I haven't been exposed, just that I haven't been told about it.
Thankfully, the Guard makes me cough up some blood every year to make sure I don't have any methyl-ethyl bad-disease crawlin around in me. Hell, they do it for free, even. ;)

Understood. Part of the one dimentionality of the web.

Sadly, I have known and worked with many that think exactly what you posted is reality.

I have worked with, and have friends who have contracted HIV and Hepatitis from patient encounters - one requiring a liver transplant.

Too many people take this ***** as nothing and are careless in their actions and hold beliefs that are dangerous to others.