State employee assistance program.

(A) The employee assistance program is hereby established in the department of administrative services for the purpose of referring state employees paid by warrant of the director of budget and management who are in need of medical, social, or other services to providers of those services. (B) Records of the identity, diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment of any person that are maintained in connection with the employee assistance program created in division (A) of this section are not public records under section 149.43 of the Revised Code and shall be disclosed only as provided in division (C) of this section. (C)(1) Records described in division (B) of this section may be disclosed with the prior written consent of the person who is the subject of the record. (2) Records described in division (B) of this section may be disclosed with or without the prior written consent of the person who is the subject of the record under the following conditions: (a) To medical personnel to the extent necessary to meet a bona fide medical emergency; (b) To qualified personnel for the purpose of conducting scientific research, management audits, financial audits, or program evaluation, but the personnel shall not directly or indirectly identify any person who is the subject of the record in any report of the research, audit, or evaluation or in any other manner; (c) If authorized by an appropriate order of a court of competent jurisdiction granted after a showing of good cause. In determining good cause, the court shall weigh the public interest and the need for disclosure against injury to the person who is the subject of the record and to the employee assistance program. Upon granting such an order, the court shall, in determining the extent to which the disclosure of all or any part of any record is necessary, impose appropriate safeguards against unauthorized disclosure. (D) Except as authorized by a court order described in division (C)(2)(c) of this section, no record described in division (B) of this section may be used to initiate or substantiate criminal charges against the person who is the subject of the record or to conduct any investigation of such a person.