Summary of SB 0820

• Amends patient rights policies in health facilities to use gender-neutral language, replacing "his or her" with "the patient's or resident's" throughout the Public Health Code.

• Prohibits health facilities from terminating care relationships with pregnant patients in labor until stabilization occurs, adding protections for pregnant patients refusing treatment.

• Expands hospital non-discrimination policies to explicitly include pregnancy and lactating status as protected characteristics in employment, patient admission, and care decisions.

• Requires hospitals to establish policies by January 1, 2026 allowing birthing patients to have support persons present, including a partner/spouse and doula (or doula and companion if no partner available), with limited exceptions for public health emergencies, safety risks, or documented infection control concerns.

• Mandates hospitals to document any exclusions of doulas and provide alternative support persons, and to accept transfer information from midwives and certified nurse midwives in specified formats.