PUBLIC Law, Chapter 426, An Act To Prevent Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding and Eye Damage in Infants

An Act To Prevent Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding and Eye Damage in Infants

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:

Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §1531, as enacted by PL 1983, c. 848, §2, is repealed and the following enacted in its place:

§ 1531. Care of infants after birth

1. Prophylactic ophthalmic ointment and reporting requirement. Every physician, midwife or nurse in charge shall instill or cause to be instilled into the eyes of an infant within 24 hours after its birth prophylactic ophthalmic ointment prescribed by the department and provided without cost by the department. If one or both eyes of an infant become reddened or inflamed at any time within 4 weeks after birth, the midwife, nurse or person having charge of the infant shall report the condition of the eyes at once to a physician licensed under Title 32, chapter 36 or 48.

2. Vitamin K injection. Every physician, midwife or nurse in charge shall administer 0.5 or 1 milligram, based on the infant's weight, of vitamin K to an infant intramuscularly within 6 hours after the infant's birth.

3. Rulemaking. The department shall adopt rules to implement this section, including, but not limited to, creating and making publicly available a brochure about the medical benefits and risks of administering the prophylactic ophthalmic ointment and vitamin K injection, and providing a form on which a parent can refuse the prophylactic ophthalmic ointment or vitamin K injection for the infant of that parent.

Sec. 2. Department of Health and Human Services to amend form. The Department of Health and Human Services shall amend its newborn blood spot screening refusal form to include a section permitting a parent to refuse the prophylactic ophthalmic ointment or vitamin K injection required under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 22, section 1531 for the infant of that parent.

Sec. 3. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and allocations are made.

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF

Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention 0143

Initiative: Provides funding for the Department of Health and Human Services to create and provide brochures about the medical benefits and risks of the prophylactic ointment and vitamin K treatments.

GENERAL FUND 2019-20 2020-21

All Other
$7,500 $2,500

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GENERAL FUND TOTAL $7,500 $2,500

Effective 90 days following adjournment of the 129th Legislature, First Regular Session, unless otherwise indicated.

SP0121 LD 443	PUBLIC Law, Chapter 426 on - Session - 129th Maine Legislature
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GENERAL FUND	2019-20	2020-21
All Other	$7,500	$2,500

GENERAL FUND TOTAL	$7,500	$2,500