Bill > S1185

This bill mandates that licensed or registered healthcare providers must complete training and continuing education on HIV/AIDS counseling and testing, diagnosis and treatment, and infection control, including universal precautions, to obtain or renew their licenses. It also requires healthcare facilities, state agencies, and vendors receiving significant state funding for health, social, or mental health services to train their staff on the rights, counseling, and care of individuals with HIV/AIDS, as well as on infection control and universal precautions, with the Department of Public Health developing specific regulations for this training. Furthermore, the bill directs the Department of Public Health, in consultation with the executive office of public safety and security, to create educational materials and a training curriculum for emergency medical services (EMS) first responders, ambulance operators, emergency medical technicians, paramedics, correction officers, and court officers, covering topics such as reducing HIV transmission risk, universal precautions, and post-exposure protocols, and requires employers to provide this training and paid leave for employees to attend, along with necessary infection control equipment and proper waste disposal procedures.