CA AB2432

Surgical clinics and general acute care hospitals must ask patients during admission whether they have religious observances requiring retention of severed human body parts and identify a preferred funeral home for release.

Hospitals and surgical clinics must document retention requests in patient records and retain severed body parts until transfer to the patient-specified funeral home, unless the part is deemed potentially infectious.

"Human body part" is defined as limbs including arms, legs, hands, feet, toes, and fingers.

Expands the definition of "human remains" under the Cemetery and Funeral Act to include retained severed body parts that are not deemed potentially infectious, subjecting them to funeral home disposition regulations.

Exempts retained severed body parts from medical waste disposal requirements unless deemed potentially infectious by the healthcare facility.