HARRY HUGHES, Governor

3547

(House Bill 351)

AN ACT concerning

Health - Sentinel Birth Defects - Information

FOR the purpose of requiring hospitals to submit anonymous
reports to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
on each child who is born in the hospital with a

sentinel birth defect; prohibiting hospitals from

disclosing the identity of the child unless certain
requirements are met; requiring the Department to
provide information on sentinel birth defects and
services for the disabled, requiring the Department to
develop procedures to survey sentinel birth defect
trends caused by environmental hazards, providing that
this Act shall terminate at a certain date; and
generally relating to the reporting of sentinel birth
defects.

For the purpose providing certain information to parents of
children with sentinel birth defects and providing
anonymous numerical information to the Department of
Health and Mental Hygiene; requiring the Department of
Health and Mental Hygiene to develop procedures to
study sentinel birth defect trends in surveillance of
environmental hazards; requiring hospitals to submit to
the Department anonymous data on each child born with a
sentinel birth defect; requiring the Department to
provide information to parents about sentinel birth
defects and public and private services for the
disabled with sentinel birth defects; prohibiting
hospitals from disclosing the identity of the child
unless certain requirements are met; providing that
this Act shall terminate at a certain date; and
generally relating to gathering information on sentinel
birth defects for parents and, the Department.

BY adding to

Article - Health - General

Section 18-206

Annotated Code of Maryland

(As enacted by Chapter ____ (H.B. 200) of the

Acts of the General Assembly of 1982)

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
MARYLAND, That section(s) of the Annotated Code of Maryland

(as enacted by Chapter ____ (H.B. 200) of the Acts of the

General Assembly of 1982) read(s) as follows:

Article - Health - General

18-206.