{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-63-63-6104","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 63, § 63-6104","heading":"Definitions","body":"As used in the Catastrophic Health Emergency Powers Act:\n\n1. “Bioterrorism” means the intentional use of any\n\nmicroorganism, virus, infectious substance, or biological product\n\nthat may be engineered as a result of biotechnology, or any\n\nnaturally occurring or bioengineered component of any such\n\nmicroorganism, virus, infectious substance, or biological product,\n\nto cause death, disease, or other biological malfunction in a human,\n\nan animal, a plant, or another living organism in order to influence\n\nthe conduct of government or to intimidate or coerce a civilian\n\npopulation;\n\n2. “Catastrophic health emergency” means an occurrence of\n\nimminent threat of an illness or health condition that:\n\na. is believed to be caused by any of the following:\n\n(1) a nuclear attack,\n\n(2) bioterrorism,\n\n(3) a chemical attack, or\n\n(4) the appearance of a novel or previously\n\ncontrolled or eradicated infectious agent or\n\nbiological toxin, and\n\nb. poses a high probability of any of the following\n\nharms:\n\n(1) a large number of deaths in the affected\n\npopulation,\n\n(2) a large number of serious or long-term\n\ndisabilities in the affected population, or\n\n(3) widespread exposure to an infectious or toxic\n\nagent that poses a significant risk of\n\nsubstantial future harm to a large number of\n\npeople in the affected population;\n\n3. “Chain of custody” means the methodology of tracking\n\nspecimens for the purpose of maintaining control and accountability\n\nfrom initial collection to final disposition of the specimens and\n\nproviding for accountability at each stage of collecting, handling,\n\ntesting, storing, and transporting the specimens and reporting test\n\nresults;\n\n4. “Contaminated waste” means:\n\na. “biological waste”, which includes blood and blood\n\nproducts, excretions, exudates, secretions, suctioning\n\nand other body fluids, and waste materials saturated\n\nwith blood or body fluids,\n\nb. “cultures and stocks”, which includes etiologic agents\n\nand associated biologicals, including specimen\n\ncultures and dishes and devices used to transfer,\n\ninoculate, and mix cultures, wastes from production of\n\nbiologicals and serums, and discarded live and\n\nattenuated vaccines,\n\nc. “pathological waste”, which includes biopsy materials\n\nand all human tissues, anatomical parts that emanate\n\nfrom surgery, obstetrical procedures, necropsy or\n\nautopsy and laboratory procedures, and animal\n\ncarcasses exposed to pathogens in research and the\n\nbedding and other waste from such animals, but does\n\nnot include teeth or formaldehyde or other\n\npreservative agents, and\n\nd. “sharps”, which includes needles, intravenous (IV)\n\ntubing with needles attached, scalpel blades, lancets,\n\nbreakable glass tubes, and syringes that have been\n\nremoved from their original sterile containers;\n\n5. “Health care facility” means any nonfederal institution,\n\nbuilding, or agency or portion thereof, whether public or private or\n\nfor profit or nonprofit, that is used, operated, or designed to\n\nprovide health services, medical treatment, or nursing,\n\nrehabilitative, or preventive care to any person or persons. This\n\nincludes, but is not limited to: ambulatory surgical facilities,\n\nhospitals, infirmaries, intermediate care facilities, kidney\n\ndialysis centers, long-term care facilities, mental health centers,\n\noutpatient facilities, public health centers, rehabilitation\n\nfacilities, residential treatments facilities, skilled nursing\n\nfacilities, special care facilities, medical laboratories, and adult\n\nday-care centers. This also includes, but is not limited to, the\n\nfollowing related property when used for or in connection with the\n\nforegoing: laboratories; research facilities; pharmacies; laundry\n\nfacilities; health personnel training and lodging facilities;\n\npatient, guest, and health personnel food service facilities; and\n\nult\n\nday-care centers. This also includes, but is not limited to, the\n\nfollowing related property when used for or in connection with the\n\nforegoing: laboratories; research facilities; pharmacies; laundry\n\nfacilities; health personnel training and lodging facilities;\n\npatient, guest, and health personnel food service facilities; and\n\noffices and office buildings for persons engaged in health care\n\nprofessions or services;\n\n6. “Health care provider” means any person or entity who\n\nprovides health care services including, but not limited to,\n\nphysicians, pharmacists, dentists, physician assistants, nurse\n\npractitioners, registered and other nurses, paramedics, emergency\n\nmedical or laboratory technicians, and ambulance and emergency\n\nmedical workers;\n\n7. “Infectious disease” means a disease caused by a living\n\norganism or other pathogen, including a fungus, bacillus, parasite,\n\nprotozoan, or virus. An infectious disease may, or may not, be\n\ntransmissible from person to person, animal to person, or insect to\n\nperson;\n\n8. “Isolation” means the physical separation and confinement of\n\nan individual or groups of individuals who are infected or\n\nreasonably believed to be infected with a transmissible or possibly\n\ntransmissible disease from nonisolated individuals, to prevent or\n\nlimit the transmission of the disease to nonisolated individuals;\n\n9. “Mental health support personnel” means, but is not limited\n\nto, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and volunteer\n\ncrisis counseling groups;\n\n10. “Protected health information” means any information,\n\nwhether oral, written, electronic, visual, or any other form, that\n\nrelates to the past, present, or future physical or mental health\n\nstatus, condition, treatment, service, products purchased, or\n\nprovision of care of an individual, and that reveals the identity of\n\nthe individual whose health care is the subject of the information,\n\nor where there is a reasonable basis to believe such information\n\ncould be utilized either alone or with other information that is, or\n\nshould reasonably be known to be, available to predictable\n\nrecipients of such information to reveal the identity of that\n\nindividual;\n\n11. “Public health authority” means the Oklahoma State\n\nCommissioner of Health; or local health department that acts\n\nprincipally to protect or preserve the health of the public; or any\n\nperson directly authorized to act on behalf of the Oklahoma State\n\nCommissioner of Health or local health department;\n\n12. “Public safety authority” means the Commissioner of Public\n\nSafety; or any local government agency that acts principally to\n\nprotect or preserve the public safety; or any person directly\n\nauthorized to act on behalf of the Commissioner of Public Safety or\n\nlocal agency;\n\n13. “Quarantine” means the physical separation and confinement\n\nof an individual or groups of individuals, who are or may have been\n\nexposed to a transmissible or possibly transmissible disease and who\n\ndo not show signs or symptoms of a transmissible disease, from\n\nnonquarantined individuals, to prevent or limit the transmission of\n\nthe disease to nonquarantined individuals;\n\n14. “Specimens” means, but is not limited to, blood, sputum,\n\nurine, stool, other bodily fluids, wastes, tissues, and cultures\n\nnecessary to perform required tests;\n\n15. “Tests” means, but is not limited to, any diagnostic or\n\ninvestigative analyses necessary to prevent the spread of disease or\n\nprotect the health, safety, and welfare of the public;\n\n16. “Transmissible disease” means an infectious disease that\n\ncan be transmitted from person to person; and\n\n17. “Trial court” means the district court for the area in\n\nwhich isolation or quarantine is to occur, a court designated by the\n\nPublic Health Emergency Plan under the Catastrophic Health Emergency\nto prevent the spread of disease or\n\nprotect the health, safety, and welfare of the public;\n\n16. “Transmissible disease” means an infectious disease that\n\ncan be transmitted from person to person; and\n\n17. “Trial court” means the district court for the area in\n\nwhich isolation or quarantine is to occur, a court designated by the\n\nPublic Health Emergency Plan under the Catastrophic Health Emergency\n\nPowers Act, or to the district court for the area in which a\n\ncatastrophic health emergency has been declared.","path":["OK Code","Title 63"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os63.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"0a2b0869f6333df9c74cabcc33441922f2777044aef2ad8866a04df54abf38da","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-63-63-6103","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-63-63-6301"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}