Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa) announced today that Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Senate Bill 993, Mental Health Providers: Disclosure Limitation on Personal Information, into law, restoring important safety protections for mental health professionals working in correctional and psychiatric settings.
SB 993 allows employers in specified correctional and psychiatric settings to limit the routine disclosure of identifying information belonging to mental health providers when safety concerns exist. The measure addresses concerns from professionals who provide services to incarcerated individuals and others in settings where disclosure of personal identifying information can create risks for providers and their families.
“Mental health professionals should be able to provide critical care without unnecessarily putting themselves or their families at risk,” said Senator Ochoa Bogh. “SB 993 restores a reasonable safeguard for providers working in some of our most challenging settings while preserving a clear process for patients to obtain the information needed to file a complaint. I’m grateful Governor Newsom signed this important workplace safety measure into law.”
Under existing requirements, Board of Behavioral Sciences licensees and registrants must provide clients with written notice containing specified identifying and licensing information before services are provided. Those requirements can raise unique safety concerns in acute psychiatric hospitals, correctional treatment centers and facilities serving incarcerated individuals.
SB 993 allows employers in specified settings to limit that routine disclosure while still requiring facilities to maintain a clear process through which clients can obtain the information necessary to file a complaint with the appropriate licensing board. Facilities must also inform clients of that process.
“Governor Newsom’s signature on SB 993 is a victory for the frontline mental health professionals who stood up for greater safety and privacy protections,” said Carl L. Miller, J.D., LCSW, President of AFSCME Local 2620. “We thank Senator Ochoa Bogh, the Legislature, and every AFSCME member whose advocacy helped turn their voices into law.”