House Bill 808- referred to as Session Law (S.L.) 2023-111 now that it has become law- prohibits the initiation of gender transition health care for transgender minors who were not already actively receiving gender transition health care as of August … Read more

The drug xylazine has been in the news recently as a dangerous substance commonly mixed with heroin, fentanyl, and other drugs. Xylazine is not an opioid nor is it currently a controlled substance, which presents unique challenges for legal and … Read more

As of May 12, 2023, SARS-CoV-2— the virus that causes COVID-19— is no longer considered a “novel” coronavirus that must be reported to public health authorities under North Carolina law. This change affects minors seeking preventive, diagnostic, and treatment services … Read more

Health care providers working in public health and serving children are likely familiar with the authority of parents, guardians, and custodians to make health care decisions for a minor. These providers may also be familiar with the legal processes used … Read more

Yesterday, I published a Q&A for covered entities on the HIPAA “Right of Access” provision. In this post, I will discuss the Right of Access Initiative, which was announced in 2019 by the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) within the … Read more

Under the HIPAA “Right of Access” provision, entities that are subject to HIPAA are required to provide patients with access to their health information upon request, in a timely manner, and at a reasonable cost. Failure to meet these requirements … Read more

Update: On January 30, 2023 the Biden Administration informed Congress that it intends to briefly extend the COVID-19 public health emergency declared under Section 319 of the Public Health Service Act until May 11, 2023, after which the public health emergency … Read more

During its 2022 “short session,” the General Assembly has revisited the Current Operations Appropriations Act of 2021 (also known as the 2021 budget) and enacted, to date, 75 session laws. This blog post summarizes legislative action taken thus far during … Read more

Update: This post has been revised to use the term “Mpox” in place of “monkeypox.” This change is consistent with guidance issued by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Introduction Due to a … Read more