SECTIONS 123725-123745 - California Statutes

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.