2017 South Carolina Code of Laws
Title 44 - Health
CHAPTER 1 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL
Section 44-1-110. Duties of department in regard to public health, in general.

The Department of Health and Environmental Control is invested with all the rights and charged with all the duties pertaining to organizations of like character and is the sole advisor of the State in all questions involving the protection of the public health within its limits.

It shall, through its representatives, investigate the causes, character, and means of preventing the epidemic and endemic diseases as the State is liable to suffer from and the influence of climate, location, and occupations, habits, drainage, scavengering, water supply, heating, and ventilation. It shall have, upon request, full access to the medical records, tumor registries, and other special disease record systems maintained by physicians, hospitals, and other health facilities as necessary to carry out its investigation of these diseases. No physician, hospital, or health facility, or person in charge of these records is liable in any action-at-law for permitting the examination or review. Patient-identifying information elicited from these records and registries must be kept confidential by the department and it is exempt from the provisions of Chapter 4 of Title 30. It shall supervise and control the quarantine system of the State. It may establish quarantine both by land and sea.

HISTORY: 1962 Code Section 32-2; 1952 Code Section 32-2; 1942 Code Section 4998; 1932 Code Section 4998; Civ. C. '22 Section 2309; Civ. C. '12 Section 1570; Civ. C. '02 Section 1085; G. S. 912; R. S. 957; 1878 (16) 729; 1892 (21) 19; 1916 (29) 958; 1972 (57) 2495; 1988 Act No. 336, Section 1.