§16-1-2 Definitions.
§16-1-2. Definitions.
Unless the context in which used clearly requires a different
meaning, as used in this article:
(a) "Basic public health services" means those services that are necessary to protect the health of the public. The three areas of basic public health services are communicable and reportable disease prevention and control, community health promotion and environmental health protection;
(b) "Bureau" means the bureau for public health in the department of health and human resources;
(c) "Combined local board of health" is one form of organization for a local board of health and means a board of health serving any two or more counties or any county or counties and one or more municipalities within or partially within the county or counties;
(d) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of the bureau for public health, who is the state health officer;
(e) "County board of health" is one form of organization for a local board of health and means a local board of health serving a single county;
(f) "Department" means the West Virginia department of health and human resources;
(g) "Director" or "director of health" means the state health officer. Administratively within the department, the bureau for public health through its commissioner carries out the public health functions of the department, unless otherwise assigned by the secretary;
(h) "Essential public health services" means the core public health activities necessary to promote health and prevent disease, injury and disability for the citizens of the state. The services include:
(1) Monitoring health status to identify community health problems;
(2) Diagnosing and investigating health problems and health hazards in the community;
(3) Informing, educating and empowering people about health issues;
(4) Mobilizing community partnerships to identify and solve health problems;
(5) Developing policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts;
(6) Enforcing laws and rules that protect health and ensure safety;
(7) Uniting people with needed personal health services and assuring the provision of health care when it is otherwise not available;
(8) Promoting a competent public health and personal health care workforce;
(9) Evaluating the effectiveness, accessibility and quality of personal and population-based health services; and
(10) Researching for new insights and innovative solutions to health problems;
(i) "Licensing boards" means those boards charged with regulating an occupation, business or profession and on which the commissioner serves as a member;
(j) "Local board of health," "local board" or "board" means a board of health serving one or more counties or one or more municipalities or a combination thereof;
(k) "Local health department" means the staff of the local board of health;
(l) "Local health officer" means the individual physician with a current West Virginia license to practice medicine who supervises and directs the activities of the local health department services, staff and facilities and is appointed by the local board of health with approval by the commissioner;
(m) "Municipal board of health" is one form of organization for a local board of health and means a board of health serving a single municipality;
(n) "Performance-based standards" means generally accepted, objective standards such as rules or guidelines against which public health performance can be measured;
(o) "Program plan" or "plan of operation" means the annual plan for each local board of health that must be submitted to the commissioner for approval;
(p) "Public water system" means any water supply or system which regularly supplies or offers to supply water for human consumption through pipes or other constructed conveyances, if serving at least an average of twenty-five individuals per day for at least sixty days per year, or which has at least fifteen service connections, and shall include: (1) Any collection, treatment, storage and distribution facilities under the control of the owner or operator of the system and used primarily in connection with the system; and (2) any collection or pretreatment storage facilities not under such control which are used primarily in connection with the system. A public water system does not include a system which meets all of the following conditions: (1) Which consists only of distribution and storage facilities (and does not have any collection and treatment facilities); (2) which obtains all of its water from, but is not owned or operated by, a public water system which otherwise meets the definition; (3) which does not sell water to any person; and (4) which is not a carrier conveying passengers in interstate commerce;
(q) "Secretary" means the secretary of the state department of health and human resources;
(r) "Service area" means the territorial jurisdiction of a local board of health;
(s) "State advisory council on public health" is the advisory body charged by this article with providing advice to the commissioner with respect to the provision of adequate public health services for all areas in the state;
(t) "State board of health" means, and refers to, the secretary, notwithstanding any other provision of this code to the contrary, whenever and wherever in this code there is a reference to the state board of health.