Section 1 of this bill authorizes a board of county commissioners to establish and maintain an electronic database containing information concerning victims of mass casualty incidents to coordinate the provision of reunification and identification services and long-term support services for such victims. Section 1 sets forth certain requirements for such an electronic database and requires a board of county commissioners that establishes such an electronic database to determine certain matters concerning the information contained in the database, the reporting of certain information to the database and the persons and governmental entities that may participate in the database. Under sections 1 and 2 of this bill, the information contained in the electronic database is confidential and may be disclosed only by participants in the database for certain purposes. Additionally, section 1 requires that, except for a victim of a mass casualty incident who has provided written authorization for his or her information to remain in the database for the purpose of receiving long-term support services, all information contained in the database concerning a victim of a mass casualty incident must be deleted after all victims of the mass casualty incident have been identified and reunified. Section 1 grants a county in which the board of county commissioners has established such an electronic database and the officers, employees and agents of the county immunity from civil liability for any act or omission related to the establishment or maintenance of the database not amounting to willful misconduct, gross negligence or bad faith. Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of medical facilities, including hospitals and independent centers for emergency medical care, by the Division of Public and Behavioral Health of the Department of Health and Human Services. (Chapter 449 of NRS) Section 3 of this bill requires a hospital or independent center for emergency medical care located in a county in which an electronic database is established pursuant to section 1 and which is notified or becomes aware of a mass casualty incident to report to the database certain information about a victim of the mass casualty incident. Section 3 additionally requires a hospital or independent center for emergency medical care to: (1) inquire whether such a victim wishes to receive long-term support services and, if so, request that the victim provide written authorization for his or her information to remain in the electronic database; and (2) include a unique identifier in the medical record of such a victim. Section 3 grants a hospital, an independent center for emergency medical care and their agents and employees immunity from civil liability for any such report made in good faith and for any unauthorized acquisition of the information reported that may occur after a report was made by the hospital or independent center for emergency medical care in accordance with the requirements of section 3. Sections 4-6 of this bill make conforming changes to provide for the administration of the requirements of section 3 in the same manner as other requirements imposed on hospitals and independent centers for emergency medical care by existing law, except for the penalties imposed for violation of those requirements. (NRS 449.029, 449.0301, 449.0302) Under section 3, a hospital or independent center for emergency medical care that fails to comply with the requirements of section 3 is not subject to any penalty for that failure. Sections 7-9 of this bill make conforming changes so that the penalties imposed for violations of other requirements imposed on hospitals and independent centers for emergency medical care by existing law do not apply to a failure to comply with the provisions of section 3.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 239.010, 449.029, 449.0301, 449.0302, 449.160, 449.163, 449.240
Reprint 1: 239.010, 449.029, 449.0301, 449.0302, 449.160, 449.163, 449.240
As Enrolled: 239.010, 449.029, 449.0301, 449.0302, 449.160, 449.163, 449.240
BDR: 239.010, 449.029, 449.0301, 449.0302, 449.160, 449.163, 449.240