1. Notwithstanding chapter 22, the confidentiality of all dependent adult abuse information shall be maintained, except as specifically provided by subsections 2 and 3.
2. Access to dependent adult abuse information other than unfounded dependent adult abuse information is authorized only to the following persons:
a. A subject of a report including all of the following:
(1) To an adult named in a report as a victim of abuse or to the adult's attorney or guardian ad litem.
(2) To a guardian or legal custodian, or that person's attorney, of an adult named in a report as a victim of abuse.
(3) To the person or the attorney for the person named in a report as having abused an adult.
b. A person involved in an investigation of dependent adult abuse including all of the following:
(1) A health practitioner or mental health professional who is examining, attending, or treating an adult whom such practitioner or professional believes or has reason to believe has been the victim of abuse or to a health practitioner or mental health professional whose consultation with respect to an adult believed to have been the victim of abuse is requested by the department.
(2) An employee or agent of the department responsible for the investigation of a dependent adult abuse report.
(3) A law enforcement officer responsible for assisting in an investigation of a dependent adult abuse allegation.
(4) A multidisciplinary team, if the department of human services approves the composition of the multidisciplinary team and determines that access to the team is necessary to assist the department in the investigation, diagnosis, assessment, and disposition of a case of dependent adult abuse.
(5) The mandatory reporter who reported the dependent adult abuse in an individual case.
c. A person providing care to an adult including all of the following:
(1) A licensing authority for a facility providing care to an adult named in a report.
(2) A person authorized as responsible for the care or supervision of an adult named in a report as a victim of abuse or a person named in a report as having abused an adult if the court or registry deems access to dependent adult abuse information by such person to be necessary.
(3) An employee or agent of the department responsible for registering or licensing or approving the registration or licensing of a person, or to an individual providing care to an adult and regulated by the department.
(4) The legally authorized protection and advocacy agency recognized pursuant to section 135C.2 if a person identified in the information as a victim or a perpetrator of abuse resided in or receives services from a facility or agency because the person is diagnosed as having a developmental disability or a mental illness.
d. Relating to judicial and administrative proceedings, persons including all of the following:
(1) A court upon a finding that information is necessary for the resolution of an issue arising in any phase of a case involving dependent adult abuse.
(2) A court or administrative agency hearing an appeal for correction of dependent adult abuse information as provided in section 235B.10.
(3) An expert witness at any stage of an appeal necessary for correction of dependent adult abuse information as provided in section 235B.10.
e. Other persons including all of the following:
(1) A person conducting bona fide research on dependent adult abuse, but without information identifying individuals named in a dependent adult abuse report, unless having that information open to review is essential to the research or evaluation and the authorized registry officials give prior written approval and the adult, the adult's guardian or guardian ad litem, and the person named in a report as having abused an adult give permission to release the information.
(2) Registry or department personnel when necessary to the performance of their official duties or a person or agency under contract with the department to carry out official duties and functions of the registry.
(3) The department of justice for the sole purpose of the filing of a claim for reparation pursuant to section 910A.5 and section 912.4, subsections 3 through 5.
(4) A legally constituted adult protection agency of another state which is investigating or treating an adult named in a report as having been abused.
(5) The attorney for the department who is responsible for representing the department.
(6) A health care facility administrator or the administrator's designee, following the appeals process, for the purpose of hiring staff or continued employment of staff.
3. Access to unfounded dependent adult abuse information is authorized only to those persons identified in subsection 2, paragraph "a", paragraph "b", subparagraphs (2) and (5), and paragraph "e", subparagraph (2).
91 Acts, ch 231, § 6; 92 Acts, ch 1163, § 50
Referred to in § 235B.4, 235B.7, 235B.8, 235B.12
Iowa General Assembly
Search: Iowa Code 1995
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Last update: Thu Feb 8 18:14:51 CST 1996
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