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The California Department of Public Health has issued All Facilities Letter 19-01 reminding hospitals of the new law requiring that they try to coordinate homeless patients’ discharge to appropriate area shelters or other community-based services. To help hospitals comply with the law, CHA has developed a guidebook titled Discharge Planning for Homeless Patients.
The guidebook explains the new law and offers insights to help hospitals prepare to return homeless patients to the community.
Written by CHA’s Lois Richardson, vice president and legal counsel, and Peggy Broussard Wheeler, vice president, rural health and governance, Discharge Planning for Homeless Patients helps hospitals comply with the law by:
- Explaining the requirements of California’s homeless patient discharge planning law
- Describing the required elements of a homeless patient discharge planning policy
- Detailing how to implement the plan throughout the facility
- Covering what to expect regarding enforcement
- Including valuable checklists, sample forms and additional resources to ease compliance
