SB 1008 Summary

• Requires health facilities and agencies providing emergency care to develop a policy by December 31, 2020 for allocating critical medical resources during declared states of emergency or disaster related to public health.

• Policy must enable clinical decision-making based on objective medical evidence and individualized patient assessment of treatment response.

• Prohibits medical decision-making based on social stigma or stereotypes including age, disability, race, ethnicity, immigration status, socioeconomic status, criminal history, substance use disorder, and other protected characteristics.

• Requires coordination and information sharing with the Department of Health and Human Services regarding resource and transfer availability.

• Mandates withholding or delaying care due to lack of critical resources be a last resort, and requires facilities to make policies publicly available on their websites when in effect.