BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  AB 620
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 1, 2013

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                  Mike Gatto, Chair

                   AB 620 (Buchanan) - As Amended:  April 15, 2013 

          Policy Committee:                              HealthVote:19-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          Yes    Reimbursable:              No

           SUMMARY  

          This bill requires specified facilities, including certain  
          intermediate care facilities, community care facilities and  
          adult day health centers, to develop, implement, comply with and  
          review annually, a patient or participant safety plan, as  
          specified, for the purposes of addressing issues that arise when  
          a patient or participant is missing from the facility.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Negligible state costs.

           COMMENTS  

          The author is concerned about the safety of individuals living  
          in care facilities or participating in day programs.  On  
          September 30, 2012, an 86-year-old female resident wandered from  
          an adult care home in Concord.  The woman's absence was  
          discovered by a caretaker who searched for an hour before  
          notifying police at 5:30 pm.  The resident, an Alzheimer's  
          patient, was found dead later that evening after a police dog  
          traced her scent.  While she was missing, her relatives were not  
          notified. 

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Debra Roth / APPR. / (916) 319-2081