Definitions

Care Provider shall mean any person including, without limitation, an emergency medical technician (EMT), an EMS first responder (EFR), both as defined in 105 CMR 170.020: Definitions, a first responder, as defined in 105 CMR 171.050: Definitions or corrections officer, who, while acting in his or her professional capacity, attends, assists or transports a person to a health care facility. Designated Infection Control Officer shall mean the officer appointed by each ambulance service, EMS first response (EFR) service, as defined in 105 CMR 170.020: Definitions, and first responder agency, as defined in 105 CMR 171.050: Definitions, for the purposes of, but need not be limited to, (1) receiving notifications of exposures to infectious diseases dangerous to the public health from health care facilities and (2) notifying the indicated care provider(s) of an exposure to an infectious disease dangerous to the public health. Diagnosis for the purposes of 105 CMR 172.000 shall mean a determination by a physician that a person is currently suffering from an infectious disease dangerous to the public health and is capable of transmitting said infectious disease or demonstrates laboratory evidence of exposure to such a disease. Health Care Facility shall mean any hospital, clinic or institution that is licensed by the Department under M.G.L. c. 111, § 51. Infectious Disease Dangerous to the Public Health for the purpose of 105 CMR 172.000 shall mean: (1) Airborne Diseases (a) Infectious tuberculosis (Mycobacterium ! pulmonary, laryngeal and others) (b) Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Chickenpox (2) Bloodborne Diseases (a) Hepatitis B (b) Human immunodeficiency virus infection (including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)) (c) Hepatitis C (d) Hepatitis D (3) Uncommon, Rare or Pandemic Diseases (a) Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2 (b) Diphtheria (Corynebacterium diphtheria) (c) Meningococcal disease (Neisseria meningitidis) (d) Plague (Yersinia pestis) (e) Hemorrhagic fevers (Lassa, Marburg, Ebola, Crimean-Congo, and other viruses yet to be identified) (f) Rabies (g) Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) (including infection with a SARS-associated coronavirus) (h) Smallpox, monkeypox and infection with any other orthopox virus in humans (including vaccinia) 172.001: continued Patient shall mean any individual attended to or assisted by a care provider and who is transported to any health care facility. Transporting Care Provider shall mean the care provider who transports the patient to a health care facility. Unprotected Exposure shall mean an exposure capable of transmitting a bloodborne infectious disease dangerous to the public health as defined in 105 CMR 172.001 and is limited to the following: (1) Puncture wounds - including punctures resulting from: (a) used needles; (b) glass and other sharp objects contaminated with blood; or (c) human bites; (2) Blood to blood contact through open wounds, which includes: open cuts, sores, rashes, abrasions or conditions that interrupt skin integrity; and Mucous membrane contact - including such contact as would occur with mouth to mouth resuscitation or eye splashing with infected fluids. Such fluids would include: blood, sputum, oral and nasal secretions. Unprotected Exposure Form shall mean a standardized form, developed and distributed by the Department of Public Health, which shall contain, but need not be limited to, the following: (1) identifying information about the patient, including his/her name, address and incident location; identifying information about the ambulance and EFR service(s) and first responder agency(ies) that responded to the call; (3) identifying information about the care provider who may have sustained an unprotected exposure including his/her name, address, and the specific nature of his/her potential exposure; and (4) name of the designated infection control officer for the service completing the report.