CDHS/CTCA Joint Guidelines: Introduction
The Guidelines within this website were developed by representatives from State and Local Health Department Tuberculosis (TB) Control Programs in consultation with the California Tuberculosis Controllers Association (CTCA) Executive Committee and the California Department of Health Services, Tuberculosis Control Branch (CDHS-TBCB). The CTCA membership and the CDHS-TBCB have endorsed the Guidelines for use in California.
The Guidelines serve as statewide standards for the treatment and control of TB in California. They clarify, simplify, and expand upon existing national guidelines and provide guidance on how to implement certain State statutes. In some instances, State recommendations may differ from national recommendations. TB control program managers, policy makers, and other persons evaluating TB programs may use these Guidelines for the assessment of individual TB control programs in California.
These Guidelines were developed primarily for Local Health Department TB Control Programs. However, many of the Guidelines are also appropriate for use by health and allied health professionals in other settings. It is recognized that in the implementation of statewide guidelines, there may be some instances where Local Health Department recommendations differ from State recommendations.
CTCA Forms
The CTCA Executive Committee has approved the Forms within this website for use in California. The Forms serve as standardized tools for exchange of information between jurisdictions, health, and correctional facilities.
Scope
These Guidelines do not cover every aspect of TB control. Local Health Department TB Control Programs should refer to national guidelines for subject areas not included in these Guidelines.
Updates
The guidelines on this website consolidate existing and newly developed Guidelines and Forms and presents them in a consistent format. In the past, binders have been provided to Local Health Departments with a complete package of the most recent Guidelines and Forms, replacing all previous Guidelines and Forms distributed by the CDHS-TBCB and the CTCA. Due to CTCA's limited resources, guidelines are now available online in electronic versions only. Binders may no longer be ordered.
The CTCA Executive Committee and CDHS-TBCB will periodically review the Guidelines and Forms to ensure they remain current and accurate. New and updated Guidelines will be e-mailed to Local Health Department TB Control Programs after they are approved, as well as made available through our website. Local Health Department TB Control Programs are responsible for updating their own binders with new and revised Guidelines as they are distributed and should ensure that line level staff have up-to-date copies.