Plain English Breakdown
The phrase 'another disability, as specified' appears in the official text but does not list what those specific disabilities are.
AB-960: Patient Visitation for People with Disabilities
This law requires general acute care hospitals to allow family or friend caregivers to stay with patients who have disabilities, even outside normal visiting hours.
What This Bill Does
- Requires general acute care hospitals to let a caregiver visit patients with physical, intellectual, developmental, or cognitive disabilities like dementia.
- Allows these caregivers to be present as needed and at times other than standard visiting hours.
- Lets hospitals set reasonable rules for visitors if safety is not an issue.
- Permits hospitals to deny entry if they reasonably believe a visitor endangers health, safety, or disrupts operations.
- States that this law does not stop visitation limits during declared emergencies by the Governor or health officers.
Who It Names or Affects
- General acute care hospitals
- Patients with physical, intellectual, developmental disabilities, cognitive impairment including dementia, and other specified disabilities
- Family members and friends who act as caregivers for these patients
Limits and Unknowns
- Hospitals can still stop visitors if they reasonably believe it will endanger health, safety, or disrupt hospital operations.
- This law does not apply during state of emergency declarations by the Governor, a State Public Health Officer, or local health officers.
- The bill states that hospitals following these rules cannot be sued for new civil or criminal liability regarding illness, infection, or injury.