Bill > HB253

This bill requires the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services to disclose specific health information twice weekly during a state of emergency declared as a public health emergency. The department must publish on its website and through other communication channels the total number of individuals hospitalized and who have died due to the conditions identified in the emergency declaration. For each category, the department must provide detailed demographic information including age cohorts (ranging from 0-4 to 65 and older), gender, hospitalization duration, date of death, underlying health conditions, and personal characteristics potentially connected to mortality or morbidity related to the public health emergency. The bill includes a privacy protection clause that allows the department to modify or withhold reporting if disclosure would compromise individual privacy. This legislation aims to increase transparency and public awareness during health emergencies by mandating comprehensive yet confidential reporting of health impact data.

Health and Social Services

https://bills.legmt.gov/#/laws/bill/2/LC3438