[§325-18]  Advisory committees forhealth care workers infected with blood-borne infections.  (a)  Thedirector of health may appoint ad hoc advisory committees as needed to provideadvice and recommendations to health care workers infected with HIV, HBV, orother blood-borne infections on the risks of blood-borne disease transmissionthrough exposure-prone invasive procedures.  An advisory committee mayrecommend changes in a health care worker's practice, including patientnotification, to reduce the possibility of transmission to patients.  Eachcommittee shall include:

(1)  An infectious disease specialist with expertiseappropriate to the case; and

(2)  A professional peer of the infected health careworker, who has expertise in the professional practice performed by thatworker.

The committee may also include the health careworker's personal physician and, if the worker's practice is facility-based,members of the facility's infection control committee.  The department ofhealth shall provide oversight and necessary staff support to the advisorycommittees when resources permit.

(b)  An advisory committee shall serve only aslong as necessary for the particular case or cases for which the committee isappointed, but its members may be named to subsequent committees as needed. Members of advisory committees shall serve without compensation, but shall bereimbursed for travel expenses as necessary by the department of health for theperformance of their duties.

(c)  Notwithstanding any law to the contrary,work of the advisory committees, including records, shall be confidential,except that a summary of non-identifying information and general policyrecommendations may be made available to the public.  All committee meetingsshall be closed to the public. [L 1994, c 265, §2]