(MONTGOMERY) — Attorney General Steve Marshall today warned Alabama’s healthcare providers to cease any unlawful use of the state immunization registry, known as ImmPRINT.
The State of Alabama has long maintained an immunization registry for healthcare providers known as ImmPRINT to avoid unnecessary vaccinations for patients and to provide the state with patient demographic data. The terms of use of this registry are governed by state law, via rules adopted by the Alabama State Board of Health. The data contained in this registry is confidential with few permitted uses.
“The Attorney General’s Office has received complaints from healthcare employees who believe their COVID-19 immunization status was obtained by their employers through the ImmPRINT registry for the purpose of verifying compliance with the employer’s immunization requirement,” said Attorney General Marshall. “In several of those cases, a shared employer specifically acknowledged accessing the state immunization database for this purpose. This privacy violation is unlawful.”
The Attorney General’s Office sent a formal demand to that employer, calling on the responsible parties to cease and desist this unlawful activity. The Alabama Department of Public Health has also warned that it is inappropriate for any employer to use the ImmPRINT system to verify the COVID-19 vaccination status of an employee and that using the immunization registry in this manner will result in immediate termination of database access.
All other healthcare entities should heed this warning and immediately cease this practice. Failure to do so may result in criminal prosecution. Per Ala. Code §22-2-14, it is a crime to violate the rules or regulations of the Alabama State Board of Health. If the violation or failure or refusal to obey or comply with such rule or regulation is a continuing one, each day’s violation will constitute a separate offense.
The Attorney General’s Office does not dispute the seriousness of the pandemic in Alabama. This statement merely reflects the Office’s interpretation of relevant state law.
