Patient visitation.

Assembly Member Garcia's patient visitation measure would require California general acute care hospitals to allow extended caregiver access for patients with disabilities or cognitive impairments, including visits outside standard hours. The policy applies to individuals with physical, intellectual, or developmental disabilities, as well as those with cognitive conditions like dementia, aiming to ensure these patients can fully access hospital services and care.

The legislation outlines specific circumstances when hospitals may restrict caregiver access, such as when a visitor poses health and safety risks or would significantly disrupt operations. In cases where visitation must be limited, hospitals would need to develop alternative protocols maximizing caregiver access while maintaining safety. The measure preserves hospitals' authority to implement reasonable restrictions on visitor age, supervision of minors, and total visitor numbers, as well as health precautions like masking requirements or limiting access to certain areas.

To address liability concerns, the bill explicitly states that hospitals complying with these requirements would not face new civil or criminal liability for any illness, infection, or injury experienced by patients or visitors. The measure maintains existing misdemeanor penalties for violations while specifying that local agencies would not require state reimbursement for any associated costs.