| | | E.__"Panel coordinator" means an employee of the center who | | is appointed by the director or a person designated by the | | panel coordinator.__The panel coordinator must be a licensed | | physician or registered nurse or other health care | | professional licensed or registered in this State. |
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| | | 2.__Membership.__The panel consists of health care and social | | service providers, public health officials, law enforcement | | officers and other persons with professional expertise on | | maternal and infant health and mortality.__The director shall | | appoint the members of the panel, who serve at the pleasure of | | the director.__The director shall appoint an employee of the | | center to serve as panel coordinator. |
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| | | 3.__Contact with authorized representatives.__The first | | contact pursuant to this section with a parent or parents or | | other authorized representative of a deceased person may not | | occur prior to 4 months after the death and must: |
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| | | A.__Be by letter from the State Health Officer on letterhead | | of the center; and |
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| | | B.__Include a separate invitation to participate in a review | | of the death of the deceased person from a statewide | | organization dedicated to improving the health of babies by | | preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant | | mortality. |
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| | | 4.__Duties and powers of panel coordinator.__The panel | | coordinator has the following duties and powers. |
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| | | A.__The panel coordinator shall review the deaths of all | | women during pregnancy or within 42 days of giving birth and | | the majority of deaths of infants under 1 year of age, with | | selection of cases of infant death based on the need to | | review particular causes of death or obtaining a | | representative sample of all deaths. |
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| | | B.__Prior to accessing medical records, the panel | | coordinator shall obtain permission in all cases for access | | to those records from the parent or parents or other | | authorized representative of the deceased person. |
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| | | C.__Prior to conducting a voluntary interview, the panel | | coordinator shall obtain permission in all cases for the | | interview from the parent or parents or other authorized | | representative of the deceased person. |
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| | | D. The panel coordinator may conduct voluntary interviews with | | the parent or parents of a deceased child or other |
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