In the course of providing services and after the conclusion of the provision of services, including for the purposes of treatment and care coordination, a therapist, integrated health system, or member of an interdisciplinary team may use, disclose, or re-disclose a record or communications without consent to:

1. (1) the therapist's supervisor, a consulting therapist, members of a staff team participating in the provision of services, a record custodian, a business associate, an integrated health system, a member of an interdisciplinary team, or a person acting under the supervision and control of the therapist;
2. (2) persons conducting a peer review of the services being provided;
3. (3) the Institute for Juvenile Research and the Institute for the Study of Developmental Disabilities;
4. (4) an attorney or advocate consulted by a therapist or agency which provides services concerning the therapist's or agency's legal rights or duties in relation to the recipient and the services being provided; and

5. (5) the Inspector General of the Department of Children and Family Services when such records or communications are relevant to a pending investigation authorized by Section 35.5 of the Children and Family Services Act where:

   1. (A) the recipient was either (i) a parent, foster parent, or caretaker who is an alleged perpetrator of abuse or neglect or the subject of a dependency investigation or (ii) a victim of alleged abuse or neglect who was not a youth in care as defined in Section 4d of the Children and Family Services Act, and

   2. (B) available information demonstrates that the mental health of the recipient was or should have been an issue to the safety of the child. In the course of providing services, a therapist, integrated health system, or member of an interdisciplinary team may disclose a record or communications without consent to any department, agency, institution or facility which has custody of the recipient pursuant to State statute or any court order of commitment.

      Information may be disclosed under this Section only to the extent that knowledge of the record or communications is essential to the purpose for which disclosure is made and only after the recipient is informed that such disclosure may be made. A person to whom disclosure is made under this Section shall not redisclose any information except as provided in this Act.

(from Ch. 91 1/2, par. 809)

(Source: P.A. 100-159, eff. 8-18-17.)