Department: means the Department of Corrections. See Utah Code 64-13-1
Inmate: means an individual who is:
(a)
committed to the custody of the department; and
(b)
housed at a correctional facility or at a county jail at the request of the department. See Utah Code 64-13-1
Serious illness: means , as determined by the inmate's physician, an illness that substantially impairs the inmate's quality of life. See Utah Code 64-13-1
Serious injury: means , as determined by the inmate's physician, bodily injury that involves a substantial risk of death, prolonged unconsciousness, prolonged and obvious disfigurement, or prolonged loss or impairment of the function of a bodily member, organ, or mental faculty. See Utah Code 64-13-1
(2)
Upon intake of an inmate, a correctional facility shall provide the inmate with a form that allows the inmate to designate a contact to whom the correctional facility may release the inmate’s medical information in compliance with applicable federal law and Title 63G, Chapter 2, Government Records Access and Management Act.
(3)
A correctional facility shall, without compromising an investigation:
(a)
attempt to notify an inmate’s designated contact that the inmate sustained a serious injury or contracted a serious illness within five days after:
(i)
the day on which the inmate sustains the serious injury or contracts the serious illness; or
(ii)
if the inmate is transferred to a health care facility as a result of the serious injury or serious illness, the day on which the inmate is released from the health care facility;
(b)
attempt to notify the designated contact within 24 hours after the death of the inmate and include the manner of death in the notification, if known; or
(c)
attempt to notify the designated contact if the inmate’s physician determines notification is necessary because the inmate has a medical condition that:
(i)
renders the inmate incapable of making health care decisions; or
(ii)
may result in the inmate reaching end-of-life.
(4)
The notification described in Subsection (3)(a) shall, without compromising an investigation, describe:
(a)
the serious injury or serious illness;
(b)
the extent of the serious injury or serious illness;
(c)
the medical treatment plan; and
(d)
if applicable, the medical treatment recovery plan.
(5)
The department shall create a policy that a staff member provide the notification described in Subsection (3) in a compassionate and professional manner.
