Bill Text: CA AB2700 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Emergency medical services: alternate destinations.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-1)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-05-16 - In committee: Held under submission. [AB2700 Detail]
Download: California-2023-AB2700-Amended.html
Amended
IN
Assembly
April 16, 2024 |
Amended
IN
Assembly
April 11, 2024 |
Amended
IN
Assembly
April 01, 2024 |
Amended
IN
Assembly
March 11, 2024 |
Introduced by Assembly Member Gabriel (Coauthor: Assembly Member Haney) |
February 14, 2024 |
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NOBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 1813 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read:1813.
(a) “Authorized sobering center” means a noncorrectional facility that is staffed at all times with at least one registered nurse, that provides a safe, supportive environment for intoxicated individuals to become sober, that is identified as an alternate destination in a plan developed pursuant to Section 1843, and that meets any of the following requirements:SEC. 2.
Section 1837 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read:1837.
The state shall survey and analyze the facilities in each county that can serve as an alternate destination facility. The Emergency Medical Services Authority shall publish a report on its internet website that provides each local emergency services agency with the current number, capacity, and type of alternate destination facilities, as well as the needed number, capacity, and type of alternate destination facilities necessary to meet current demand for services.SEC. 3.
Section 1844 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read:1844.
As part of its annual submission pursuant to Section 1797.254, a local EMS agency shall report to the authority regarding the development of triage to alternate destination programs in its jurisdiction. The report shall include the following:For purposes of this chapter:
(a)“Alternate destination facility” means a treatment location that serves as an alternative to an emergency department, including a mental health facility or sobering center.
(b)“EMS” means emergency medical services.
(c)“Mental health facility” means a facility that is licensed or certified as a mental health treatment facility or a hospital, as defined in subdivision (a) or (b) of Section 1250, by the State Department of Public Health, and may include a licensed psychiatric hospital, a licensed psychiatric health facility, or a certified
crisis stabilization unit. An authorized mental health facility may also be a psychiatric health facility licensed by the State Department of Health Care Services. The facility shall be staffed at all times with at least one registered nurse.
(d)“Sobering center” means a noncorrectional facility that is staffed at all times with at least one registered nurse, that provides a safe, supportive environment for intoxicated individuals to become sober, and that meets any of the following requirements:
(1)The facility is a federally qualified health center, including a clinic described in subdivision (b) of Section 1206.
(2)The facility is certified by the State Department of Health Care Services Substance Use Disorder Compliance
Division to provide outpatient, nonresidential detoxification services.
(3)The facility meets the National Sobering Collaborative standards of care.
The state shall survey and analyze the facilities in each county that can serve as an alternate destination facility. The Emergency Medical Services Authority shall publish a report on its internet website that provides each local EMS agency with the current number, capacity, and type of alternate destination facilities, as well as the needed number, capacity, and type of alternate destination facilities necessary to meet current demand for services.
(a)A local EMS agency, in consultation with the county department or departments relevant to behavioral health within its jurisdiction, shall develop an alternate destination facility plan with protocols for transporting an individual to an alternate destination facility instead of an emergency department. The plan and protocols shall be subject to regulations adopted pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 1815.
(b)The plan developed pursuant to subdivision (a) shall do both of the following:
(1)Ensure that transportation to
an emergency department is no longer the default protocol for an individual in need of mental or behavioral health care services.
(2)Utilize existing facilities identified in the report published pursuant to Section 1871.