                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

VIRGINIA CORD BLOOD BANK INITIATIVE ESTABLISHED (§ 32.1-69.3)

A. There is hereby established the Virginia Cord Blood Bank Initiative (the
Initiative) as a public resource for the treatment of patients with
life-threatening diseases or debilitating conditions, for use in advancing basic
and clinical research, and, in the event of a terrorist attack, to be used in
the treatment of the injured.
			The Initiative shall be established as a nonprofit legal entity to collect,
screen for infectious and genetic diseases, perform tissue typing on,
cryopreserve, and store umbilical cord blood as a public resource and shall be
formed as a collaborative consortium that covers all geographical regions of
Virginia.

B. The State Health Commissioner shall develop or shall arrange for or contract
with a nonprofit entity for the development of the collaborative consortium to
be known as the Initiative, which may consist of any entity having the expertise
or experience or willingness to develop the expertise or experience necessary to
participate in the Initiative.

C. In developing the consortium, the Commissioner shall ensure that all
geographical areas of the Commonwealth are included in the Initiative. To
accomplish this goal, the Commissioner shall contact Eastern Virginia Health
Sciences Center at Old Dominion University and its participating hospitals,
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth
University Health System, the University of Virginia School of Medicine, the
University of Virginia Health System, and other entities located in Virginia,
such as hospitals and hospital systems, biotechnology companies, regional blood
banks, laboratories, or other health care providers or medical researchers, or
local coalitions of health care providers that could provide coverage of the
various geographical regions of Virginia, to request their participation in the
Initiative consortium and assist in the design and implementation of the
Initiative.

D. Any nonprofit entity having an arrangement or contract with the Commissioner
for the development of the Initiative and any medical school, hospital, or other
health care provider choosing to participate in the Initiative shall submit an
estimate of the costs of implementing the Initiative for the region in which it
is located. The Commissioner shall assist in the development of the cost
estimates, compare and evaluate such estimates, and negotiate with the various
entities to implement the Initiative.
			Further, the Commissioner shall coordinate (i) appropriate contact with
pregnant women to provide information about umbilical cord blood donations; (ii)
the development of procedures for obtaining informed consent for cord blood
donations; (iii) the design of the Initiative, including the period of years for
storage of the cord blood to ensure the integrity of the cells; (iv) a system
for recycling the blood at the end of the established storage period that
provides for the sale or transfer of the cord blood samples being taken out of
storage to be used in basic or clinical research development at reasonable rates
and fees for cord blood products.

E. The entities joining the Initiative shall work collaboratively, each with the
community resources in its local or regional area. The Initiative participants
shall align their outreach programs and activities to all geographic areas and
ethnic and racial groups of the Commonwealth, and shall conduct specific and
culturally appropriate outreach and research to identify potential donors among
all ethnic and racial groups.

F. The Commissioner shall disseminate information about the Initiative, focusing
on hospitals, birthing facilities, physicians, midwives, and nurses, and
providing information through local health departments.
			Initiative consortium participants shall also be encouraged to disseminate
information about the Initiative.
			In addition, the Director of the Department of Medical Assistance Services
shall include information about the Initiative in printed materials distributed
by the Department to recipients of medical assistance services and persons
enrolled in the Family Access to Medical Insurance Security Plan.

G. Any woman admitted to a hospital or birthing facility for obstetrical
services may be offered the opportunity to donate umbilical cord blood to the
Initiative. However, no woman shall be required to make a cord blood donation.

H. Any health care facility or health care provider receiving financial
remuneration for the collection of umbilical cord blood shall, prior to
harvesting the umbilical cord blood, disclose this information in writing to any
woman postpartum or to the parent of a newborn from whom the umbilical cord
blood is to be collected.

I. This section shall not be construed to require participation in the
Initiative on the part of any health care facility or health care provider who
objects to transfusion or transplantation of blood on the basis of bona fide
religious beliefs.

J. The Initiative shall be implemented with such funds as may be appropriated or
otherwise provided for its purpose. Upon implementation, the Commissioner shall
initiate the development of a nonprofit entity to assume the operation and
administration of the Initiative and may seek federal, state, and private grant
funds for its continuation.

HISTORY: 2006, cc. 636, 735; 2008, c. 285; 2023, cc. 756, 778.