§ 68-5-105 — Establishment of clinics for vaccinations

(a) It is the duty of each county board of health to establish one (1) or more clinics in each county for the purpose of providing vaccinations or inoculations, or both, to prevent the introduction and spread of communicable diseases in the county. Each county board of health shall follow the recommendations of the state department of health as to the procedures necessary to provide immunity for each disease for which an immunizing agent is available and supplied by the department. No restriction shall be applied as to the eligibility of any person to receive an immunizing agent supplied by the department, except the restrictions that may be included in the recommendations of the department. (b) If any county board of health fails or refuses to carry out this section, the department is authorized to make provision for these services, and the cost of these services shall be paid from the joint budget of the local full time public health service cooperating with the department. In the event no local full-time public health service exists, the cost of these vaccination or inoculation services shall be paid from any grant-in-aid funds available to the county under § 68-2-901 . (c) It is the legislative intent of this section to establish through the department, on a statewide basis, a uniform minimum vaccination and immunization program. Nothing in this section shall be construed as prohibiting county boards of health established and operating in accordance with chapter 2 of this title, or their counterparts in office established under private acts, from adopting and enforcing such regulations as may be reasonable and necessary to prevent the introduction of, or to arrest the progress of, communicable diseases within their jurisdictions. (d) Any vaccination or inoculation required for international travel that is provided by a public clinic shall be available to a person residing outside the county but within the state in which the clinic is located at the same cost as charged to individuals residing within the county where the clinic is located, when the vaccination or inoculation is unavailable at a public clinic in the person's home county. This subsection (d) shall not apply in any county having a population of not less than two hundred eighty-five thousand (285,000) nor more than two hundred eighty-six thousand (286,000), according to the 1990 federal census or any subsequent federal census.

Legislative History

Acts 1905, ch. 519, § 8; Shan., § 3114a7; mod. Code 1932, § 5798; Acts 1967, ch. 41, § 1; T.C.A. (orig. ed.), § 53-613; Acts 1997 , ch. 519, § 1.