California Health and Safety Code 1233.5 – By June 30, 1995, a licensed clinic board of directors and its …
By June 30, 1995, a licensed clinic board of directors and its medical director shall establish and adopt written policies and procedures to screen patients for purposes of detecting spousal or partner abuse. The policies shall include procedures to accomplish all of the following:
(a) Identifying, as part of its medical screening, spousal or partner abuse among patients.
Terms Used In California Health and Safety Code 1233.5
- clinic: means an organized outpatient health facility that provides direct medical, surgical, dental, optometric, or podiatric advice, services, or treatment to patients who remain less than 24 hours, and that may also provide diagnostic or therapeutic services to patients in the home as an incident to care provided at the clinic facility. See California Health and Safety Code 1200
- Director: means "State Director of Health Services. See California Health and Safety Code 21
(b) Documenting in the medical record patient injuries or illnesses attributable to spousal or partner abuse.
(c) Providing to patients who exhibit signs of spousal or partner abuse a current referral list of private and public community agencies that provide, or arrange for, the evaluation, counseling, and care of persons experiencing spousal or partner abuse, including, but not limited to, hot lines, local domestic violence shelter-based programs, legal services, and information about temporary restraining orders.
(d) Designating licensed clinical staff to be responsible for the implementation of these guidelines.
It is the intent of the Legislature that clinics, for purposes of satisfying the requirements of this section, adopt guidelines similar to those developed by the American Medical Association regarding domestic violence detection and referral. The Legislature recognizes that while guidelines evolve and change, the American Medical Association’s guidelines may serve, at this time, as a model for clinics to follow.
(Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 197, Sec. 9. (SB 1493) Effective January 1, 2023.)