Existing law requires all health care providers and laboratories to report cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection to the local health officer and requires the local health officer to report unduplicated HIV cases to the State Department of Public Health. Existing law requires public health records related to HIV or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) , containing personally identifying information, that were developed or acquired by a state or local public health agency, or an agent of that agency, to be confidential and not disclosed, except as otherwise provided by law for public health purposes or pursuant to a written authorization by the person who is the subject of the record or by their guardian or conservator. Existing law authorizes certain state or local public health officials to disclose those records to other local, state, or federal public health agencies or to medical researchers when the confidential information is necessary to carry out specified duties of the agency or researcher, including in the investigation, control, or surveillance of disease.
This bill would additionally authorize a health care provider of a patient with an HIV infection that has already been reported to a local health officer as described above to communicate with a local health officer or the department to provide additional information required by law or public health guidelines in order to complete or supplement an HIV case report. The bill would prohibit a provider from disclosing personally identifying confidential information about a patient to a local health jurisdiction or the department unless the disclosure is necessary for the jurisdiction or the department to carry out specified duties.

Statutes affected:
SB 504: 121025 HSC
02/19/25 - Introduced: 121025 HSC
03/27/25 - Amended Senate: 121025 HSC
04/10/25 - Amended Senate: 121025 HSC