All information and records held by the Division of Public Health relating to known or suspected causes of STD, including infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus causing Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), shall be strictly confidential. Such information shall not be released or made public upon subpoena or otherwise, except that release may be made under the following circumstances: (1) Release is made of medical or epidemiological information for statistical purposes so that no person can be identified; (2) Release is made of medical or epidemiological information with the consent of all persons identified in the information released; (3) Release is made of medical or epidemiological information to medical personnel, appropriate state agencies, including the Maternal and Child Death Review Commission, or state courts to the extent required to enforce the provisions of this chapter and related rules and regulations concerning the control and treatment of STDs, or as related to child abuse investigations pursuant to Chapter 9 of this title, or as related to Maternal and Child Death Review Commission investigations pursuant to subchapter II of Chapter 3 of Title 31; (4) Release is made of medical or epidemiological information to medical personnel in a medical emergency to the extent necessary to protect the health or life of the named party; or (5) Release is made during the course of civil or criminal litigation to a person allowed access to said records by a court order which is issued in compliance with the following provisions: a. No court of this State shall issue such order unless the court finds that the person seeking the records and information has demonstrated a compelling need for such records which cannot be accommodated by other means. In assessing compelling need, the court shall weigh the need for disclosure against the privacy interest of the subject and the public interest which may be disserved by disclosure which deters future testing and treatment or which may lead to discrimination. b. Pleadings pertaining to disclosure of such records shall substitute a pseudonym for the true name of the subject of the records. The disclosure to the parties of the subject's true name shall be communicated confidentially, in documents not filed with the court. c. Before granting any such order, the court shall provide the subject whose records are in question with notice and a reasonable opportunity to participate in the proceedings if the subject is not already a party. d. Court proceedings as to disclosure of such records shall be conducted in camera unless the subject agrees to a hearing in open court or unless the court determines that a public hearing is necessary to the public interest and the proper administration of justice. e. Upon the issuance of an order to disclose such records, the court shall impose appropriate safeguards against unauthorized disclosure, which shall specify the persons who may have access to the information, the purposes for which the information shall be used, and appropriate prohibitions on future disclosures.
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