(a) A private provider of ambulance services licensed by the California Highway Patrol and any employees of that provider, when operating in accordance with the standards, regulations, policies, and protocols of local emergency medical services agencies, shall not be criminally or civilly liable for the continued detainment of a person when that detainment is requested by a peace officer, facility staff, or other professionals authorized to detain persons in any of the following circumstances:

(1) Transportation, and continuing the detainment, of a person properly detained in accordance with Section 5150, 5250, or 5260 of the Welfare and Institutions Code to a facility designated by the county for evaluation and treatment.

(2) Transportation, and continuing the detainment, of a person who is detained for evaluation and treatment in a hospital or other facility to a designated facility for psychiatric treatment in accordance with Section 5150, 5250, or 5260 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(3) Transportation, and continuing the detainment, of a person who is in an acute care hospital, medical clinic, or other psychiatric evaluation facility to a designated facility for psychiatric treatment, if so ordered by the attending physician, a professional staff person in charge of a facility designated by the county for evaluation and treatment, a member of the attending staff, or a professional staff person designated by the county, in accordance with Section 5250 or 5260 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(b) A private provider of ambulance services requested to provide transportation of persons consistent with this section shall provide care according to the policies and procedures established by the local emergency medical services agency in the county that the provider operates and the policies of the California Emergency Medical Services Authority.

(c) This section does not relieve the provider of ambulance services, or any of its employees, from liability for injuries caused by negligence, gross negligence, recklessness, or willful misconduct on the part of the provider or its employees while transporting a person to a designated facility.

(d) A private provider of ambulance services that provides transportation to a designated facility, as defined in § 5008 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, shall not require a person who is voluntarily agreeing to transport to be placed on an involuntary hold as a precondition to that transport.

(Added by Stats. 2023, Ch. 474, Sec. 1. (AB 1376) Effective January 1, 2024.)