Health Facility Patient's Visitation Right (Hospital Designee Bill) 2nd Alert; this one is for the Senate. It passed the House of Representatives!

Take action by Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Contact:	·	Richard Jones, Administration (877) KEF-5775 (office)
	·	Rick Wolfe, Special Adviser (877) KEF-5775 (office)

SUMMARY: AN ACT relating to a health facility patient's visitation rights. Create a new section of KRS Chapter 216B to allow a patient of a health facility who is 18 years of age or older to designate, in writing, an individual not legally related by marriage or blood, who the patient wishes to have visitation rights; require the health facility to note this designation in the patient's permanent medical records; provide that the patient may rescind the designation at any time, in writing.

Mary Lou Marzian (D-Louisville), pre-filed the Hospital Designee Bill (House Bill 118). This bill would allow anyone 18 and older to designate a non-blood relative as having hospital room access. This bill passed the Kentucky House of Representatives and the fate of this legislation is now in the hands of the Kentucky Senate.

What the bill means for gay people is that hospitals would no longer be allowed to keep domestic partners out of hospital rooms if those partners are permitted by the patient. This bill would benefit our allied heterosexual couples as much as it would homosexual couples!

We would hear no more horror stories of partners sitting in the waiting room while their loved ones die alone, or their family will not allow their partner to visit them.

UPDATE: House Bill 118 passed Committee and the full House of Representatives and was sent to the Kentucky Senate on January 18, 2010. Kentucky Equality Federation appeals to Senate President David L. Williams to pass it in the Senate. (more)

This legislation passed the House Standing Committee on Health and Welfare, and then passed the full House of Representatives from our previous action alert; we must send the same message to the Kentucky Senate! Stand with Kentucky Equality Federation President Jordan Palmer in urging Senate President David L. Williams to pass this legislation!

PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR COMPLETE MAILING ADDRESS, EMAIL ADDRESS, AND TELEPHONE NUMBER FOR YOUR ELECTED OFFICIAL!

Sample Letter

Send email to:
Commonwealth of Kentucky Senate

Message Subject:

Message Body:
I am writing to you today to ask that you pass House Bill 118, received in the Kentucky Senate on January 28, 2010. As a citizen of this Commonwealth, I am personally asking you to support this bill, named the "Hospital Designee Bill." When talking about being able to visit a loved one in a hospital, it is something many take for granted. Gay partners can be denied access to their partners in critical situations. However, this bill will benefit heterosexual couples as much as it will homosexual couples. Why deny someone access to a sick or injured person? I stand with and affirm Kentucky Equality Federation President Jordan Palmer's letter to Senate President David L. Williams and the leadership of the Kentucky Senate. LETTER: http://www.kyequality.org/2010_legislative_Session/2010_senate_president_williams_hb118.pdf House Bill 118 would create a new section of KRS Chapter 216B to allow a patient of a health facility who is 18 years of age or older to designate, in writing, an individual not legally related by marriage or blood, who the patient wishes to have visitation rights; require the health facility to note this designation in the patient's permanent medical records; provide that the patient may rescind the designation at any time, in writing. cc: Kentucky Equality Federation

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