36-104

36-104. Powers and duties

This section is not to be construed as a statement of the department's organization. This section is intended to be a statement of powers and duties in addition to the powers and duties granted by section 36-103. The director shall:

1. Administer the following services:

(a) Administrative services, which shall include, but not be limited to, the functions of accounting, personnel, standards certification, electronic data processing, vital statistics and the development, operation and maintenance of buildings and grounds utilized by the department.

(b) Public health support services, which shall include, but not be limited to:

(i) Consumer health protection programs, to include, but not be limited to, the functions of community water supplies, general sanitation, vector control and food and drugs.

(ii) Epidemiology and disease control programs, to include, but not be limited to, the functions of chronic disease, accident and injury control, communicable diseases, tuberculosis, venereal disease and others.

(iii) Laboratory services programs.

(iv) Health education and training programs.

(v) Disposition of human bodies programs.

(c) Community health services, which shall include, but not be limited to:

(i) Medical services programs, to include, but not be limited to, the functions of maternal and child health, preschool health screening, family planning, public health nursing, premature and newborn program, immunizations, nutrition, dental care prevention and migrant health.

(ii) Dependency health care services programs, to include, but not be limited to, the functions of need determination, availability of health resources to medically dependent, quality control, utilization control and industry monitoring.

(iii) Crippled children's services programs.

(iv) Programs for the prevention and early detection of mental retardation.

(d) Program planning, which shall include, but not be limited to:

(i) An organizational unit for comprehensive health planning programs.

(ii) Program coordination, evaluation and development.

(iii) Need determination programs.

(iv) Health information programs.

2. Include and administer, within the office of the director, staff services, which shall include, but not be limited to, budget preparation, public information, appeals, hearings, legislative and federal government liaison, grant development and management and departmental and interagency coordination.

3. Make rules and regulations for the organization and proper and efficient operation of the department.

4. Determine when a health care emergency or medical emergency situation exists or occurs within the state that cannot be satisfactorily controlled, corrected or treated by the health care delivery systems and facilities available. When such situation is determined to exist, the director shall immediately report such situation to the legislature and the governor. Such report shall include information on the scope of the emergency, recommendations for solution of the emergency and estimates of costs involved.

5. Provide a system of unified and coordinated health services and programs between the state and county governmental health units at all levels of government.

6. Formulate policies, plans and programs to effectuate the missions and purposes of the department.

7. Make contracts and incur obligations within the general scope of its activities and operations subject to the availability of funds.

8. Be designated as the single state agency for the purposes of administering and in furtherance of each federally supported state plan.

9. Provide information and advice on request by local, state and federal agencies and by private citizens, business enterprises and community organizations on matters within the scope of its duties subject to the departmental rules and regulations on the confidentiality of information.

10. Establish and maintain separate financial accounts as required by federal law or regulations.

11. Advise with and make recommendations to the governor and the legislature on all matters concerning its objectives.

12. Take appropriate steps to reduce or contain costs in the field of health services.

13. Encourage and assist in the adoption of practical methods of improving systems of comprehensive planning, of program planning, of priority setting and of allocating resources.

14. Encourage an effective use of available federal resources in this state.

15. Research, recommend, advise and assist in the establishment of community or area health facilities, both public and private, and encourage the integration of planning, services and programs for the development of the state's health delivery capability.

16. Promote the effective utilization of health manpower and health facilities which provide health care for the citizens of this state.

17. Take appropriate steps to provide health care services to the medically dependent citizens of this state.

18. Certify training on the nature of sudden infant death syndrome for use by professional firefighters and certified emergency medical technicians as part of their basic and continuing training requirement.

19. Certify training on the nature of sudden infant death syndrome which shall include information on the investigation and handling of cases involving sudden and unexplained infant death for use by law enforcement officers as part of their basic training requirement.

20. Adopt protocols on the manner in which an autopsy shall be conducted under section 11-597, subsection D in cases of sudden and unexplained infant death.

21. Cooperate with the Arizona-Mexico commission in the governor's office and with researchers at universities in this state to collect data and conduct projects in the United States and Mexico on issues that are within the scope of the department's duties and that relate to quality of life, trade and economic development in this state in a manner that will help the Arizona-Mexico commission to assess and enhance the economic competitiveness of this state and of the Arizona-Mexico region.

22. Administer the federal family violence prevention and services act grants, and the department is designated as this state's recipient of federal family violence prevention and services act grants.

23. Accept and spend private grants of monies, gifts and devises for the purposes of methamphetamine education. The department shall disburse these monies to local prosecutorial or law enforcement agencies with existing programs, faith based organizations and nonprofit entities that are qualified under section 501(c)(3) of the United States internal revenue code, including nonprofit entities providing services to women with a history of dual diagnosis disorders, that provide educational programs on the repercussions of methamphetamine use. State general fund monies shall not be spent for the purposes of this paragraph. If the director does not receive sufficient monies from private sources to carry out the purposes of this paragraph, the director shall not provide the educational programs prescribed in this paragraph. Grant monies received pursuant to this paragraph are nonlapsing and do not revert to the state general fund at the close of the fiscal year.

24. Identify successful methamphetamine prevention programs in other states that may be implemented in this state.

25. Pursuant to sections 36-1691, 36-1692 and 36-1693, coordinate all public health and risk assessment issues associated with a chemical or other toxic fire event if a request for the event is received from the incident commander or the emergency response commission or the department of public safety and if funding is available. Coordination of public health issues shall include general environmental health consultation and risk assessment services consistent with sections 36-1691, 36-1692 and 36-1693 and, in consultation with the Arizona poison control system, informing the public as to potential public health risks from the environmental exposure. Pursuant to sections 36-1691, 36-1692 and 36-1693, the department of health services shall also prepare a report, in consultation with appropriate state, federal and local governmental agencies, that evaluates the public health risks from the environmental exposure. The department of health services' report shall include any department of environmental quality report and map of smoke dispersion from the fire, the results of any environmental samples taken by the department of environmental quality and the toxicological implications and public health risks of the environmental exposure. The department of health services shall consult with the Arizona poison control system regarding toxicology issues and shall prepare and produce its report for the public as soon as practicable after the event. The department of health services shall not use any monies pursuant to section 49-282, subsection E, to implement this paragraph. For the purposes of this paragraph, "chemical or other toxic fire event" means a fire at a building that is required to be tracked in the municipal hazardous material tracking process program pursuant to section 26-343.01.