What if I’m Homeless and I’m In The Hospital
It is illegal for the hospital to drop you off in the street after your treatment if you are homeless. Hospitals must have a written process for discharging homeless patients. They must ask if you are homeless and help you find avaialble shelter, resources, or treatment that you need. Ask to speak to a social worker prior to your discharge.
If you are taken to a hospital and you or the person who takes you believes it is an emergency, the hospital must screen you for emergency conditions without delaying to ask you about your insurance or ability to pay, or discriminating because you are poor or homeless or of any particular race or color.
If the hospital finds that you do have an emergency condition, they must treat you right away without delay to resolve or stabilize the emergency.
If the hospital doesn’t have the necessary equipment or specialists to resolve your condition they must transfer you to a hospital that has the ability to resolve your condition. They must first stabilize you as much as they are able. They must contact the second hospital and send your medical records over to them. The second hospital must agree to accept the transfer and cannot turn you away.
A hospital cannot move you from one county to another for the purpose of getting any kind of health or social services without first getting permission from the agency that provides the services. They cannot just drop you off at an agency without telling you or getting authorization from the agency.
Hospitals must provide you the opportunity to identify a family caregiver who can help with your care after you leave the hospital, and record this information in your medical chart.
The hospital must provide your family caregiver information on the care you need after you are discharged from the hospital, including information about your medications and proper dosing.
When you are discharged the hospital needs to provide you a summary including your diagnosis, pain treatment, medication, allergies, and treatment plan.
If it is expected that you will need long term care, the hospital must provide you at least one referral to an agency that can help you locate a provider of long term care.
These rights are now guaranteed to you under SB 1152 which passed in September 2018:
Before you are discharged the hospital must document that they have communicated with you about your medical needs after you are discharged: offered you a meal (unless it is not advised medically); provided you adequate clothing for the weather if you do not have it: provide you with prescriptions if needed, and a supply of necessary medication if available from an onsite pharmacy: and offered you screenings for infectious diseases and any vaccinations that are appropriate for your condition
• The treating physician must offer you a medical screening examination and evaluation, and refer you to an appropriate provider if follow-up behavioral care is needed.
• The hospital must make a good faith effort to contact your health plan if you have one, your primary care provider if you have one, or another appropriate provider.
• The hospital must screen you for eligibility in affordable health insurance and help you enroll if any is found.
• The hospital must offer you transportation to the destination identified
• If you believe the hospital is going to discharge you without adequate preparation, you should complain to the hospitals “Patients Complaint Coordinator” or “Ombudsman “
• To submit a complaint against a health facility or provider: California Health Facility Consumer Information System: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CHCQ/LCP/CalHealthFind/Pages/Complaint.aspx