Health care provider entities: patients accompanied by immigration enforcement officers.

Added a new exception allowing immigration enforcement officers to remain in a patient's room or care area when there is a credible risk of harm to personnel or other patients, as determined by the health care provider entity and documented in the medical record. This applies both to the general prohibition on remaining in the room and to the requirement to ask the officer to step out during care discussions.

Section 24261 on discharge planning was substantially rewritten. The old version required written confirmation from the immigration enforcement officer and receiving facility regarding continuity of medications, durable medical equipment, postdischarge care, and specialty care access. The new version applies only to facilities licensed under Chapter 2 of Division 2 of the Health and Safety Code and requires following standard discharge planning consistent with state and federal regulations, including coordinating with the receiving facility and documenting discussions in the medical record.

The provision for providing immigrant advocacy resources was expanded to include the patient themselves (not just family members or designated persons), and now specifically mentions know-your-rights materials and information about pro bono legal services providers.

The discharge summary provision now requires 'the patient's request, authorization' rather than just 'the patient's request,' adding an explicit authorization requirement for sharing with third parties.

The blackout policy prohibition was changed from applying when 'admitting' a patient to when 'treating' a patient, broadening its temporal scope. Two new exceptions were added: the policy may be used if requested by the patient, or if there is a credible risk of harm to the patient or other persons as determined and documented by the provider.

The definition of 'blackout policies' was narrowed by removing the phrase 'when admitting a patient under criminal custody,' so it now applies to any policy used to conceal a patient's presence or identity regardless of whether the patient is in criminal custody.

Patient rights in Section 24259(a) now explicitly reference federal regulations (Section 70707 of Title 22 California Code of Regulations and Section 482.13 of Title 42 Code of Federal Regulations) as sources of patient rights, in addition to California law.

The bill text was reformatted from an official legislative document layout (with line numbers, page breaks, and dual-column formatting) into a web page format with navigation elements, search tools, and simplified section headings. No policy language was added, removed, or altered.

The entire amendment to Section 51926 of the Education Code (requiring mental health education materials to be appropriate for all pupils, accessible to disabled pupils, free of bias, and coordinated with on-campus mental health providers) was deleted from the bill.

The fiscal committee vote changed from 'no' to 'yes,' indicating the bill now carries a state-mandated local program or fiscal impact that was not present in the prior version.

The definition of 'blackout policies' now includes the phrase 'to conceal a patient's presence or identity at the entity's facility,' making the purpose of such policies explicit in the statutory language.

Section 24260 (blackout policy prohibition) was expanded from applying only when 'admitting' a patient to when 'admitting treating' a patient, and now includes an exception: blackout policies are prohibited unless requested by the patient.

The requirement for health care provider entity personnel to document non-compliant immigration enforcement officers was changed. Previously, frontline staff had to directly document the officer's actions, name, and badge number. Now, staff must report the refusal to management, administration, or legal counsel, who then documents the information, with 'to the extent possible' added as a qualifier for the badge number.

A new subdivision (b) in Section 24261 requires health care provider entities to document the receiving facility, the treating provider's clinical assessment of whether the receiving facility meets the patient's medical needs and acuity, and whether the immigration enforcement officer or receiving facility confirmed, declined to confirm, or was unresponsive to continuity-of-care requests.

A new Section 24262 allows health care provider entities to appoint or designate representatives (from personnel, management, administration, or legal counsel) to implement the chapter's requirements, including representatives responsible for interacting with immigration enforcement officers. It also prohibits disciplinary or adverse employment consequences against personnel for implementing the chapter.

Section 24261(a) now includes 'to the extent possible' as a qualifier on the requirement to ensure the receiving facility meets the patient's needs and acuity, softening what was previously an absolute obligation.

Added a new Chapter 2.1 (Sections 24258-24262) to Division 20 of the Health and Safety Code, creating an entirely new regulatory framework for health care provider entities dealing with patients accompanied by immigration enforcement officers.

Defined 'blackout policies' as any policy used when admitting a patient under criminal custody, including registering under a pseudonym, removing the patient's name from the directory, or prohibiting staff from confirming a patient is present. Also defined 'immigration enforcement officer' to include federal officers and contracted entities.

Required health care provider entities to verify and document the identities and agencies of accompanying immigration enforcement officers upon arrival, and to inform patients of their rights including private communication with legal counsel, right to authorize release of medical information, right to have family or advocates notified, access to interpreters, and right to refuse care.

Prohibited immigration enforcement officers from remaining in a patient's room or care area unless legally authorized by a valid judicial warrant or court order with written justification. Required staff to ask officers to step out during medical discussions, examinations, or treatment.

Prohibited immigration enforcement officers from making, influencing, or participating in medical decisions on behalf of the patient they accompany, and prohibited using officers as interpreters for patient care or consent.

Prohibited health care provider entities from using blackout policies when admitting a patient accompanied by an immigration enforcement officer.

Required that before discharging a patient accompanied by an immigration enforcement officer, the facility must obtain written confirmation from both the officer and the receiving facility regarding continuity of medications, durable medical equipment, post-discharge care, and access to specialty care and follow-up services.

Required health care provider entity personnel to document the actions, name, and badge number of any immigration enforcement officer who refuses to comply with the new requirements, and report the violation to management, administration, or legal counsel.

Made nonsubstantive grammatical corrections to Section 51926 of the Education Code, changing 'any a person' to 'a person' and 'any a category' to 'a category' in the mental health education materials provision.