123725-123745
HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE
SECTION 123725-123745
123725. (a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply: (1) "SIDS" means sudden infant death syndrome. (2) "SIDS Advisory Council" or "advisory council" means the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Advisory Council established pursuant to subdivision (b). (b) The department shall establish a Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Advisory Council. The advisory council shall consist of nine members who shall be chosen by the director in consultation with regional SIDS parent advisory councils. At least one-third of the members of the advisory council chosen by the director shall be representatives of SIDS parents' groups. The membership of the advisory council shall also include, but not be limited to, a coroner, a medical examiner, a public health nurse, a physician and surgeon with expertise in SIDS, and a representative from a police or fire department. (c) The SIDS Advisory Council shall do all of the following: (1) Provide guidance to the state department in the development of training, educational, and research programs regarding SIDS. (2) Provide ongoing guidance to the Governor and the Legislature regarding the need for specific programs regarding SIDS for specific targeted groups of persons. (3) In conjunction with the state department or a person with whom the state department contracts to provide SIDS education, convene a statewide conference annually to examine the progress in discovering the cause of SIDS, explore the progress of newly established programs and services related to SIDS, identify future needs for legislation and program development regarding SIDS, and make recommendations on the needs of programs regarding SIDS. Conference participants shall include professionals and service providers in the area of SIDS, family members of SIDS victims, and the staff of members of the Legislature and departments of the state. (d) The members of the advisory council shall serve at the pleasure of the director. The members of the advisory council shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for necessary and travel expenses incurred in the performance of the duties of the advisory council. (e) The requirements contained in this section shall be subject to the annual Budget Act and shall be operative only to the extent that funds are appropriated for the purposes of this section. 123730. The department shall keep each county health officer advised of the most current knowledge relating to the nature and causes of sudden infant death syndrome. 123735. (a) As used in this section, "SIDS" means sudden infant death syndrome. (b) The department shall contract with a person to provide regular and ongoing SIDS education and training programs for those who interact with parents and caregivers following a death from SIDS, including, but not limited to, the following: (1) County public health nurses. (2) Coroners and coroners' investigators. (3) Forensic pathologists. (4) Emergency room physicians and surgeons, nurses, and other staff. (5) Licensed day care providers. (6) SIDS parent groups. (7) Medical examiners. (c) The department shall contract with a person to produce, update, and distribute literature on SIDS for specific target populations of persons who interact with parents and caregivers following a death from SIDS, including, but not limited to, the following: (1) Clergy. (2) Fire and police departments. (3) Emergency medical service staff. (4) Morticians. (5) Funeral directors. (6) SIDS parent groups. (d) The requirements of this section shall be subject to the annual Budget Act and shall be operative only to the extent funds are appropriated for the purposes of this section. 123740. (a) For purposes of this section the following definitions shall apply: (1) "Appropriately trained public health professional" means a public health nurse or a social worker who is knowledgeable about the incidence of sudden infant death syndrome and the care and support of persons who have experienced a death of this nature, and who has basic grief counseling skills. (2) "Contact" is a face-to-face visit, a group visit, or a telephone call that provides one or more of the following services: (A) An assessment of the family, child care provider, or both. (B) Crisis intervention and counseling. (C) A referral to a community service. (D) A followup assessment of the family's, the child care provider' s, or both family's and child care provider's progress. (3) "Immediately" means within three working days of receiving notice from the coroner or other reporting agent of a death presumedly caused by sudden infant death syndrome. (4) "Local health officer" means a health officer for a city, county, or city and county. (b) Upon being informed by the coroner pursuant to Section 102865 of any case in which sudden infant death syndrome is the presumed cause of death, the local health officer or his or her designated agent, who is an appropriately trained public health professional, after consultation with the infant's physician of record, when possible, shall immediately contact the person or persons who had custody and control of the infant, including foster parents, when applicable, for the purposes of providing to that person information, support, referral, and followup services relating to sudden infant death syndrome. If the infant was in child care, the local health officer or his or her designated agent who is an appropriately trained public health professional also shall immediately contact the child care provider. (c) The local health officer shall perform the duties required by this section throughout the jurisdiction of that local health officer. 123745. The department shall monitor, or contract with a person to monitor, whether the county health officer or his or her designated agent is performing the duties required by Section 123740 and whether they are being performed within the timeframes specified in Section 123740.