Enact the Break the Silence Act

As Introduced

136th
General Assembly

Regular
Session
H. B. No. 566

2025-2026

Representatives Jarrells, Williams

Cosponsors: Representatives Rader,
McNally, Synenberg, Bryant Bailey, Brennan, Thomas, C., Lawson-Rowe,
Upchurch, Robb Blasdel

To

amend
section 3727.08; to amend, for the purpose of adopting a new section
number as indicated in parentheses, section 3727.08 (3722.15); and to

enact
sections 3701.0413, 3702.20, and 5119.335 of the Revised Code
to
require the Director of Health, hospitals, and urgent care facilities
to create domestic violence protocols for certain health care
professionals and to name this act the Break the Silence Act.

BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section
1.
That

section
3727.08 be amended; section 3727.08 (3722.15) be amended for the
purpose of adopting a new section number as indicated in parentheses;
and
sections
3701.0413, 3702.20, and 5119.335 of the Revised Code be enacted to
read as follows:

Sec.
3701.0413.
(A)
As used in this section:

(1)
"Domestic violence" has the same meaning as in section
3113.31 of the Revised Code.

(2)
"Health care professional" means the following:

(a)
A physician licensed under Chapter 4731. of the Revised Code to
practice medicine and surgery or osteopathic medicine and surgery;

(b)
A physician assistant licensed under Chapter 4730. of the Revised
Code;

(c)
A clinical nurse specialist, certified nurse practitioner, or
certified nurse-midwife licensed under Chapter 4723. of the Revised
Code;

(d)
A certified mental health assistant licensed under Chapter 4772. of
the Revised Code;

(e)
Any health care worker performing initial patient assessments at a
hospital or urgent care facility, including:

(i)
A registered nurse or licensed practical nurse licensed under Chapter
4723. of the Revised Code;

(ii)
A nurse aide;

(iii)
A medical assistant;

(iv)
Any other health care worker performing initial patient assessments.

(3)
"Hospital" means a hospital licensed under Chapter 3722. of
the Revised Code or a hospital licensed under section 5119.33 of the
Revised Code to receive persons with mental illnesses.

(4)
"Urgent care facility" means a facility where ambulatory
care is provided outside a hospital emergency department and is
available on a walk-in, non-appointment basis. "Urgent care
facility" does not include a primary care provider.

(B)
The director of health shall develop protocols for health care
professionals to follow when a health care professional knows or has
reasonable cause to believe that a patient has been the victim of
domestic violence. The protocols shall include guidance regarding the
following:

(1)
Identifying, as part of a medical screening, patients who are victims
of domestic violence;

(2)
Conducting an interview with the patient;

(3)
Conducting one or more interviews, separate and apart from the
interview with the patient, with any family or household member
present;

(4)
Documenting patient injuries or illnesses attributable to domestic
violence in a patient's medical record, including creating a
photographic record of the patient's injuries whenever possible;

(5)
Providing to patients who exhibit signs of domestic violence
victimization a current referral list of private and public community
agencies that provide, or arrange for, the evaluation, counseling,
and care of individuals experiencing domestic violence, including
hotlines, local domestic violence shelter-based programs, legal
services, and information about temporary restraining orders.

(C)
Within one year after the effective date of this section, the
director, or an organization contracted by the director through a
competitive bidding process, shall offer training to health care
professionals in hospitals and urgent care facilities on how to
recognize domestic violence and provide support to victims of
domestic violence. The training shall cover the protocols established
pursuant to division (B) of this section.

(D)
An organization contracted to provide training shall have the
following:

(1)
Experience in the development and delivery of standardized curriculum
for health care professionals regarding screening for domestic
violence and supporting victims of domestic violence;

(2)
Established relationships with private and public community agencies
that provide, or arrange for, the evaluation, counseling, and care of
individuals experiencing domestic violence;

(3)
A history of leadership and collaboration with state and local
domestic violence victim advocacy organizations;

(4)
The capacity to provide training on the scale required.

(E)
The director or the contracted organization shall make the training
developed pursuant to division (C) of this section available to
health care professionals at hospitals and urgent care facilities
throughout the state.

(F)
When developing the protocols pursuant to division (B) of this
section, the director shall incorporate guidelines developed by the
American medical association, American hospital association, hospital
accreditation organizations, or the successor organizations of any of
the foregoing regarding domestic violence detection and referral.

(G)
The director shall adopt rules as necessary to implement this section
and may include rules determining how frequently health care
professionals at hospitals and urgent care facilities must receive
domestic violence training.

Sec.
3702.20.
(A)
As used in this section:

(1)
"Domestic violence" has the same meaning as in section
3113.31 of the Revised Code.

(2)
"Health care professional" and "urgent care facility"
have the same meanings as in section 3701.0413 of the Revised Code.

(B)
Not later than ninety days after the effective date of this section,
each urgent care facility shall adopt protocols for conducting an
interview with a patient when a health care professional knows or has
reasonable cause to believe that the patient has been the victim of
domestic violence; for conducting one or more interviews in those
circumstances, separate and apart from the interview with the
patient, with any family or household member present; and for
documenting patient injuries or illnesses attributable to domestic
violence in the patient's medical record, including creating a
photographic record of the patient's injuries whenever possible.

(C)
When adopting the protocols required under division (B) of this
section, an urgent care facility may utilize the protocols
established by the department of health pursuant to section 3701.0413
of the Revised Code.

Sec.

3727.08

3722.15
.

(A)
As used in this section:

(1)
"Domestic violence" has the same meaning as in section
3113.31 of the Revised Code.

(2)
"Health care professional" has the same meaning as in
section 3701.0413 of the Revised Code.

(B)

Not
later than ninety days after the effective date of this section,
every hospital
licensed
under this chapter
shall
adopt protocols
providing

for
conducting an interview with
the

a

patient
,

when a health care professional knows or has reasonable cause to
believe that the patient has been the victim of domestic violence;

for conducting one or more interviews

in those circumstances
,
separate and apart from the interview with the patient, with any
family or household member present
,
;

and for
documenting
patient injuries or illnesses attributable to domestic violence in
the patient's medical record, including
creating

whenever
possible
a
photographic record of the patient's injuries
,
in situations in which a doctor of medicine or osteopathic medicine,
hospital intern or resident, or registered, advanced practice
registered, or licensed practical nurse knows or has reasonable cause
to believe that the patient has been the victim of domestic violence,
as defined in section 3113.31 of the Revised Code
whenever
possible
.

(C)
When adopting the protocols required under division (B) of this
section, a hospital may utilize the protocols established by the
department of health pursuant to section 3701.0413 of the Revised
Code.

Sec.
5119.335.
(A)
As used in this section:

(1)
"Domestic violence" has the same meaning as in section
3113.31 of the Revised Code.

(2)
"Health care professional" has the same meaning as in
section 3701.0413 of the Revised Code.

(B)
Not later than ninety days after the effective date of this section,
each hospital licensed under section 5119.33 of the Revised Code
shall adopt protocols for conducting an interview with a patient when
a health care professional knows or has reasonable cause to believe
that the patient has been the victim of domestic violence; for
conducting one or more interviews in those circumstances, separate
and apart from the interview with the patient, with any family or
household member present; and for documenting patient injuries or
illnesses attributable to domestic violence in the patient's medical
record, including creating a photographic record of the patient's
injuries whenever possible.

(C)
When developing the protocols required under division (B) of this
section, a hospital may utilize the protocols established by the
department of health pursuant to section 3701.0413 of the Revised
Code.

Section
2.
That
existing section 3727.08 of the Revised Code is hereby repealed.

Section
3.
This
act shall be known as the Break the Silence Act.