(a) The department shall carry out a program to combat morbidity, including intellectual disability, and mortality in persons who have phenylketonuria, other heritable diseases, or hypothyroidism.
(b) The executive commissioner shall adopt rules necessary to carry out the program, including a rule specifying other heritable diseases covered by this chapter.

(c) The department shall establish and maintain a laboratory to:
(1) conduct experiments, projects, and other activities necessary to develop screening or diagnostic tests for the early detection of phenylketonuria, other heritable diseases, and hypothyroidism;
(2) develop ways and means or discover methods to be used to prevent or treat phenylketonuria, other heritable diseases, and hypothyroidism; and
(3) serve other purposes considered necessary by the department to carry out the program.