California
California Assembly Health Committee passes ‘Next of Kin Notification’ bill
A bill sparked by a KCRA 3 investigation cleared its first hurdle in the California Legislature on Tuesday.Assembly Bill 2598 was introduced in response to KCRA’s “Dignity Delayed.” The investigation revealed a backlog of human remains after patient deaths at Dignity Health hospitals. The hospitals are accused of failing to notify families and county officials for months or even years after the deaths and, instead, leaving bodies to decompose in cold storage at an off-site morgue without a death certificate.In court records, Dignity Health said the COVID-19 pandemic and staffing issues caused delays, although they dispute that they did not initially try to contact next of kin.That is a dispute that is now being argued in civil court following lawsuits filed by families who say they were left in the dark about the deaths of their loved ones.In the meantime, AB 2598 aims to make it clear that notification of next of kin is required and that not doing so could have consequences.“This is necessary to fill a gap that we currently have in our law,” said the bill’s author, Assemblymember Maggy Krell, D-Sacramento.The bill states that the California Department of Health could dole out penalties of $200 a day for each day that a hospital fails to make a reasonable attempt to notify family. Fines would max out at $50,000. The California Hospital Association is proposing some amendments and clarifications to the bill, but there is currently no registered opposition to it.The Assembly Health Committee voted to pass the bill, and it is scheduled to be heard before the Assembly Judiciary Committee next.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
A bill sparked by a KCRA 3 investigation cleared its first hurdle in the California Legislature on Tuesday.
Assembly Bill 2598 was introduced in response to KCRA’s “Dignity Delayed.” The investigation revealed a backlog of human remains after patient deaths at Dignity Health hospitals. The hospitals are accused of failing to notify families and county officials for months or even years after the deaths and, instead, leaving bodies to decompose in cold storage at an off-site morgue without a death certificate.
In court records, Dignity Health said the COVID-19 pandemic and staffing issues caused delays, although they dispute that they did not initially try to contact next of kin.
That is a dispute that is now being argued in civil court following lawsuits filed by families who say they were left in the dark about the deaths of their loved ones.
In the meantime, AB 2598 aims to make it clear that notification of next of kin is required and that not doing so could have consequences.
“This is necessary to fill a gap that we currently have in our law,” said the bill’s author, Assemblymember Maggy Krell, D-Sacramento.
The bill states that the California Department of Health could dole out penalties of $200 a day for each day that a hospital fails to make a reasonable attempt to notify family. Fines would max out at $50,000.
The California Hospital Association is proposing some amendments and clarifications to the bill, but there is currently no registered opposition to it.
The Assembly Health Committee voted to pass the bill, and it is scheduled to be heard before the Assembly Judiciary Committee next.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel