Connecticut General Statutes
Chapter 368a - Department of Public Health
Section 19a-7. (Formerly Sec. 19-3a). - Public health planning. State health plan. Access to certain health care data. Regulations.

(a) The Department of Public Health shall be the lead agency for public health planning and shall assist communities in the development of collaborative health planning activities which address public health issues on a regional basis or which respond to public health needs having state-wide significance. The department shall prepare a multiyear state health plan which will provide an assessment of the health of Connecticut's population and the availability of health facilities. The plan shall include: (1) Policy recommendations regarding allocation of resources; (2) public health priorities; (3) quantitative goals and objectives with respect to the appropriate supply, distribution and organization of public health resources; and (4) evaluation of the implications of new technology for the organization, delivery and equitable distribution of services. In the development of the plan the department shall consider the recommendations of any advisory bodies which may be established by the commissioner.

(b) For the purposes of establishing a state health plan as required by subsection (a) of this section and consistent with state and federal law on patient records, the department is entitled to access hospital discharge data, emergency room and ambulatory surgery encounter data, data on home health care agency client encounters and services, data from community health centers on client encounters and services and all data collected or compiled by the Health Systems Planning Unit of the Office of Health Strategy pursuant to section 19a-613.
(c) The Commissioner of Public Health shall adopt regulations in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54 to assure the confidentiality of personal data and patient-identifiable data collected or compiled pursuant to this section.
(P.A. 75-562, S. 7, 8; P.A. 77-614, S. 323, 610; P.A. 78-109, S. 4–6; P.A. 80-66; P.A. 84-163; P.A. 87-420, S. 1, 14; P.A. 93-381, S. 3, 39; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 25, 58; P.A. 98-87, S. 1; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 98-1, S. 86, 121; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 99-2, S. 33; P.A. 10-179, S. 103; P.A. 18-91, S. 74.)
History: P.A. 77-614 replaced department of health with department of health services, effective January 1, 1979; P.A. 78-109 restated Subsec. (d) and added Subsec. (g) re regulations; P.A. 80-66 removed limit on nominations submitted by health systems agencies but provided that the number be at least twice the number of representatives allotted to the agency in Subsec. (a), changed proportion of direct providers of health care from one-third to one-half and added provision re representatives of consumers of health care in Subsec. (c), specified that veterans' representative be nonvoting member in Subsec. (d), transferred primary responsibility for chairman selection from council to governor in Subsec. (e), added provision re assistance provided council by department in Subsec. (f) and changed reference to federal act; Sec. 19-3a transferred to Sec. 19a-7 in 1983; P.A. 84-163 added Subsec. (h) concerning the council's duty to annually submit a health status update, submit recommendations for legislation and review the governor's recommended block grant allocations; P.A. 87-420 deleted Subsecs. (b) through (h), deleted references to the state-wide health coordinating council and restated Subsec. (a) re the designation of the department of health services as the lead agency for public health planning; P.A. 93-381 replaced commissioner and department of health services with commissioner and department of public health and addiction services, amended Subsec. (a) to add provisions re multiyear state health plan and added Subsec. (b) re developing and implementing comprehensive plan for prevention and treatment of alcohol and drug abuse problems, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-257 replaced Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Department of Public Health and deleted former Subsec. (b) re developing and implementing comprehensive plan for prevention and treatment of alcohol and drug problems, effective July 1, 1995; P.A. 98-87 made existing language Subsec. (a) and added Subsec. (b) granting department access to Office of Health Care Access data and Subsec. (c) requiring regulations on confidentiality; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 98-1 made a technical change in Subsec. (b) re the correct name of the Office of Health Care Access; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 99-2 amended Subsec. (b) by deleting reference to Office of Health Care Access regulations; P.A. 10-179 amended Subsec. (b) by replacing “Office of Health Care Access” with “Office of Health Care Access division of the Department of Public Health”; P.A. 18-91 amended Subsec. (b) by replacing reference to Office of Health Care Access with reference to Health Systems Planning Unit, effective May 14, 2018.
See Sec. 19a-73a re state comprehensive cancer plan.
See Sec. 19a-630 for applicable definitions.

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