The physician in charge of the patient, or the professional person in charge of the facility or his or her designee, when he or she has probable cause to believe that a patient while hospitalized has committed, or has been the victim of, murder, manslaughter, mayhem, aggravated mayhem, kidnapping, carjacking, robbery, assault with intent to commit a felony, arson, extortion, rape, forcible sodomy, forcible oral copulation, unlawful possession of a weapon as provided in any provision listed in Section 16590 of the Penal Code, or escape from a hospital by a mentally disordered sex offender as provided in Section 6330 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, shall release information about the patient to governmental law enforcement agencies.
The physician in charge of the patient, or the professional person in charge of the facility or his or her designee, when he or she has probable cause to believe that a patient, while hospitalized has committed, or has been the victim of assault or battery may release information about the patient to governmental law enforcement agencies.
This section shall be limited solely to information directly relating to the factual circumstances of the commission of the enumerated offenses and shall not include any information relating to the mental state of the patient or the circumstances of his or her voluntary or involuntary admission, commitment, or treatment.
This section shall not be construed as an exception to or in any other way affecting the provisions of Article 7 (commencing with Section 1010) of Chapter 4 of Division 8 of the Evidence Code.
(Amended by Stats. 2010, Ch. 178, Sec. 101. (SB 1115) Effective January 1, 2011. Operative January 1, 2012, by Sec. 107 of Ch. 178.)