(a) As used in this section, “health care provider” means a person who has direct or supervisory responsibility for the administration of a vaccine or assessment of immunization status, including a physician or physician assistant licensed pursuant to chapter 370, a nurse-midwife licensed pursuant to chapter 377, an advanced practice registered nurse or registered nurse licensed pursuant to chapter 378, a pharmacist licensed pursuant to chapter 400j, or an individual authorized under the general statutes or federal law to administer a vaccine.

(b) The Commissioner of Public Health or the commissioner’s designee shall establish and maintain an immunization information system for the purpose of assuring vaccine recipient’s access to their immunization records. The immunization information system shall include such information as is necessary to accurately identify a vaccine recipient and to assess such recipient’s current immunization status.

(c) Each health care provider who has administered a vaccine to a person in the state shall report, in a form and manner prescribed by the commissioner, or the commissioner’s designee, information, which shall include, but need not be limited to, (1) the name and date of birth of the vaccine recipient, (2) the name and date of each vaccine dose given to the vaccine recipient, (3) any other information deemed necessary by the commissioner, and (4) when appropriate, contraindications or exemptions to administration of each vaccine dose. Each health care provider shall provide to a vaccine recipient, a vaccine recipient’s court-appointed guardian or conservator, if applicable, or, in the case of a child who received a vaccine, such child’s parent or guardian information regarding how such vaccine recipient or such child may decline enrollment in the immunization information system.

(d) Each health care provider intending to administer vaccines to any person may use the immunization information system to determine current information on the immunization status of such person for the purposes of determining whether such person requires immunizations, or to officially document immunization status to meet state child care, school or higher education immunization entry requirements pursuant to sections 10-204a, 10a-155, 19a-79 and 19a-87b and regulations adopted thereunder.

(e) Each school nurse who is required to verify the immunization status for children enrolled in prekindergarten to grade twelve, inclusive, at a public or private school in any town, city or school district pursuant to § 10-204a shall be provided with sufficient information on the children who live in the school nurse’s jurisdiction and who are listed on the immunization information system to enable determination of which children are overdue for scheduled immunizations and to enable provision of outreach to assist in getting each such child vaccinated.

(f) The commissioner, or the commissioner’s designee, shall provide the director of health of any municipality or health district with sufficient information on the persons who live in such director’s jurisdiction and who are listed on the immunization information system in order to address undervaccinated communities and improve health equity.

(g) The commissioner may use the information in the immunization information system for the purposes set forth in sections 19a-25 and 19a-215 and the regulations promulgated pursuant to said sections. The commissioner, or the commissioner’s designee, may exchange information in the immunization information system with federal agencies providing health care services and other states’ immunization information systems for the purposes described in this section.

(h) The commissioner shall provide to a vaccine recipient, a vaccine recipient’s court-appointed guardian or conservator, if applicable, or, in the case of a child who received a vaccine, such child’s parent or guardian access to any information that was provided by a health care provider to the Department of Public Health through the immunization information system regarding such person’s vaccination status upon request by such recipient, guardian, conservator, parent or guardian.

(i) Except as specified in subsections (b) to (h), inclusive, of this section, all personal information including vaccination status and dates of vaccination of persons shall be confidential pursuant to § 19a-25 and shall not be further disclosed without the authorization of the vaccine recipient, the vaccine recipient’s court-appointed guardian or conservator, if applicable, or, in the case of a child who received a vaccine, such child’s parent or guardian.

(j) The immunization information system shall comply with the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Immunization Information System Functional Standards, as amended from time to time.

(k) The commissioner shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to implement the provisions of this section, including, but not limited to, regulations specifying (1) how information on vaccinations and, when appropriate, contraindications or exemptions to administration of each vaccine dose, is reported in a timely manner to the immunization information system, (2) how information on the immunization information system is made available to persons authorized to receive such information pursuant to subsections (b) to (h), inclusive, of this section, and (3) how a vaccine recipient, a vaccine recipient’s court-appointed guardian or conservator, if applicable, or, in the case of a child who received a vaccine, such child’s parent or guardian may decline enrollment in the immunization information system.

(l) The commissioner shall, in consultation with the Office of Health Strategy, adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to facilitate interoperability between the immunization information system and the State-wide Health Information Exchange established pursuant to § 17b-59d. The commissioner may implement policies and procedures necessary to administer the provisions of this section while in the process of adopting such policies and procedures as regulations, provided the department posts such policies and procedures on the eRegulations System prior to adopting them. Policies and procedures implemented pursuant to this section shall be valid until regulations are adopted in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54.