SB 612 - Under current law, every infant born in Missouri is tested for certain metabolic and genetic diseases and specified health professionals attending to births are required to assure that appropriate specimens are collected and submitted to the Department of Health and Senior Services. All medical test results and personal information relating to genetic testing and obtained from any individual shall be held confidential by the department with certain exceptions. This act provides that in addition to the certain prescribed exceptions, the department may release the results of newborn screening tests to a child’s healthcare professional. This act also provides that specimens collected by the department shall be retained for five years and then destroyed. However, at the time of testing, or up to five years after the specimen was initially submitted to the department, the parent or legal guardian of the child from whom the specimen was obtained may direct the department to return, destroy or store the specimen. A specimen released for anonymous study shall not contain information that may be used to determine the identity of the donor.
The department may charge a reasonable fee for the use of such specimens for public health research and preparing and supplying specimens for research proposals approved by the department.
This act is substantially similar to HCS/HB 948 (2007).
ADRIANE CROUSE