135.143  Public health response teams.
  1.  The department shall approve public health response teams to supplement and support disrupted or overburdened local medical and public health personnel, hospitals, and resources. Assistance shall be rendered under the following circumstances:
  a.  At or near the site of a disaster or threatened disaster by providing direct medical care to victims or providing other support services.
  b.  If local medical or public health personnel or hospitals request the assistance of a public health response team to provide direct medical care to victims or to provide other support services in relation to any of the following incidents:
  (1)  During an incident resulting from a novel or previously controlled or eradicated infectious agent, disease, or biological toxin.
  (2)  After a chemical attack or accidental chemical release.
  (3)  After an intentional or accidental release of radioactive material.
  (4)  In response to a nuclear or radiological attack or accident.
  (5)  Where an incident poses a high probability of a large number of deaths or long-term disabilities in the affected population.
  (6)  During or after a natural occurrence or incident, including but not limited to fire, flood, storm, drought, earthquake, tornado, or windstorm.
  (7)  During or after a man-made occurrence or incident, including but not limited to an attack, spill, or explosion.
  2.  The department shall provide by rule a process for registration and approval of public health response team members and sponsor entities and shall authorize specific public health response teams, which may include but are not limited to disaster assistance teams and environmental health response teams. The department may expedite the registration and approval process during a disaster, threatened disaster, or other incident described in subsection 1.
  3.  A member of a public health response team acting pursuant to this division of this chapter shall be considered an employee of the state under section 29C.21 and chapter 669, shall be afforded protection as an employee of the state under section 669.21, and shall be considered an employee of the state for purposes of workers’ compensation, disability, and death benefits, provided that the member has done all of the following:
  a.  Registered with and received approval to serve on a public health response team from the department.
  b.  Provided direct medical care or other support services during a disaster, threatened disaster, or other incident described in subsection 1; or participated in a training exercise to prepare for a disaster or other incident described in subsection 1.
  4.  The department shall provide the department of administrative services with a list of individuals who have registered with and received approval from the department to serve on a public health response team. The department shall update the list on a quarterly basis, or as necessary for the department of administrative services to determine eligibility for coverage.
  5.  Upon notification of a compensable loss, the department of administrative services shall seek authorization from the executive council to pay as an expense from the appropriations addressed in section 7D.29 those costs associated with covered workers’ compensation benefits.
2003 Acts, ch 33, §4, 11; 2003 Acts, ch 145, §286; 2005 Acts, ch 89, §9; 2009 Acts, ch 37, §7, 8; 2011 Acts, ch 131, §25, 158
Subsection 5 amended