HB 566

As Introduced
136th General Assembly
    Regular Session  H. B. No. 566
       2025-2026
  Representatives Jarrells, Williams
Cosponsors: Representatives Rader, McNally, Synenberg, Bryant Bailey, Brennan,
  Thomas, C., Lawson-Rowe, Upchurch, Robb Blasdel
  To amend section 3727.08; to amend, for the purpose  1
  of adopting a new section number as indicated in  2
  parentheses, section 3727.08 (3722.15); and to  3
  enact sections 3701.0413, 3702.20, and 5119.335  4
  of the Revised Code to require the Director of  5
  Health, hospitals, and urgent care facilities to  6
  create domestic violence protocols for certain  7
  health care professionals and to name this act  8
  the Break the Silence Act.  9
 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
      Section 1. That section 3727.08 be amended; section  10
3727.08 (3722.15) be amended for the purpose of adopting a new  11
section number as indicated in parentheses; and sections  12
3701.0413, 3702.20, and 5119.335 of the Revised Code be enacted  13
to read as follows:  14
      Sec. 3701.0413. (A) As used in this section:  15
      (1) "Domestic violence" has the same meaning as in section  16
3113.31 of the Revised Code.  17
      (2) "Health care professional" means the following:  18
H. B. No. 566  Page 2
As Introduced
       (a) A physician licensed under Chapter 4731. of the  19
Revised Code to practice medicine and surgery or osteopathic  20
medicine and surgery;  21
       (b) A physician assistant licensed under Chapter 4730. of  22
the Revised Code;  23
       (c) A clinical nurse specialist, certified nurse  24
practitioner, or certified nurse-midwife licensed under Chapter  25
4723. of the Revised Code;  26
       (d) A certified mental health assistant licensed under  27
Chapter 4772. of the Revised Code;  28
       (e) Any health care worker performing initial patient  29
assessments at a hospital or urgent care facility, including:  30
       (i) A registered nurse or licensed practical nurse  31
licensed under Chapter 4723. of the Revised Code;  32
       (ii) A nurse aide;  33
       (iii) A medical assistant;  34
       (iv) Any other health care worker performing initial  35
patient assessments.  36
       (3) "Hospital" means a hospital licensed under Chapter  37
3722. of the Revised Code or a hospital licensed under section  38
5119.33 of the Revised Code to receive persons with mental  39
illnesses.  40
       (4) "Urgent care facility" means a facility where  41
ambulatory care is provided outside a hospital emergency  42
department and is available on a walk-in, non-appointment basis.  43
"Urgent care facility" does not include a primary care provider.  44
       (B) The director of health shall develop protocols for  45
H. B. No. 566  Page 3
As Introduced
health care professionals to follow when a health care  46
professional knows or has reasonable cause to believe that a  47
patient has been the victim of domestic violence. The protocols  48
shall include guidance regarding the following:  49
       (1) Identifying, as part of a medical screening, patients  50
who are victims of domestic violence;  51
       (2) Conducting an interview with the patient;  52
       (3) Conducting one or more interviews, separate and apart  53
from the interview with the patient, with any family or  54
household member present;  55
       (4) Documenting patient injuries or illnesses attributable  56
to domestic violence in a patient's medical record, including  57
creating a photographic record of the patient's injuries  58
whenever possible;  59
       (5) Providing to patients who exhibit signs of domestic  60
violence victimization a current referral list of private and  61
public community agencies that provide, or arrange for, the  62
evaluation, counseling, and care of individuals experiencing  63
domestic violence, including hotlines, local domestic violence  64
shelter-based programs, legal services, and information about  65
temporary restraining orders.  66
       (C) Within one year after the effective date of this  67
section, the director, or an organization contracted by the  68
director through a competitive bidding process, shall offer  69
training to health care professionals in hospitals and urgent  70
care facilities on how to recognize domestic violence and  71
provide support to victims of domestic violence. The training  72
shall cover the protocols established pursuant to division (B)  73
of this section.  74
H. B. No. 566  Page 4
As Introduced
       (D) An organization contracted to provide training shall  75
have the following:  76
       (1) Experience in the development and delivery of  77
standardized curriculum for health care professionals regarding  78
screening for domestic violence and supporting victims of  79
domestic violence;  80
       (2) Established relationships with private and public  81
community agencies that provide, or arrange for, the evaluation,  82
counseling, and care of individuals experiencing domestic  83
violence;  84
       (3) A history of leadership and collaboration with state  85
and local domestic violence victim advocacy organizations;  86
       (4) The capacity to provide training on the scale  87
required.  88
       (E) The director or the contracted organization shall make  89
the training developed pursuant to division (C) of this section  90
available to health care professionals at hospitals and urgent  91
care facilities throughout the state.  92
       (F) When developing the protocols pursuant to division (B)  93
of this section, the director shall incorporate guidelines  94
developed by the American medical association, American hospital  95
association, hospital accreditation organizations, or the  96
successor organizations of any of the foregoing regarding  97
domestic violence detection and referral.  98
       (G) The director shall adopt rules as necessary to  99
implement this section and may include rules determining how  100
frequently health care professionals at hospitals and urgent  101
care facilities must receive domestic violence training.  102
H. B. No. 566  Page 5
As Introduced
        Sec. 3702.20. (A) As used in this section:  103
        (1) "Domestic violence" has the same meaning as in section  104
3113.31 of the Revised Code.  105
        (2) "Health care professional" and "urgent care facility"  106
have the same meanings as in section 3701.0413 of the Revised  107
Code.  108
        (B) Not later than ninety days after the effective date of  109
this section, each urgent care facility shall adopt protocols  110
for conducting an interview with a patient when a health care  111
professional knows or has reasonable cause to believe that the  112
patient has been the victim of domestic violence; for conducting  113
one or more interviews in those circumstances, separate and  114
apart from the interview with the patient, with any family or  115
household member present; and for documenting patient injuries  116
or illnesses attributable to domestic violence in the patient's  117
medical record, including creating a photographic record of the  118
patient's injuries whenever possible.  119
        (C) When adopting the protocols required under division  120
(B) of this section, an urgent care facility may utilize the  121
protocols established by the department of health pursuant to  122
section 3701.0413 of the Revised Code.  123
        Sec. 3727.08 3722.15. (A) As used in this section:  124
        (1) "Domestic violence" has the same meaning as in section  125
3113.31 of the Revised Code.  126
        (2) "Health care professional" has the same meaning as in  127
section 3701.0413 of the Revised Code.  128
        (B) Not later than ninety days after the effective date of  129
this section, every hospital licensed under this chapter shall  130
H. B. No. 566  Page 6
As Introduced
adopt protocols providing for conducting an interview with the a  131
patient, when a health care professional knows or has reasonable  132
cause to believe that the patient has been the victim of  133
domestic violence; for conducting one or more interviews in  134
those circumstances, separate and apart from the interview with  135
the patient, with any family or household member present,; and  136
for documenting patient injuries or illnesses attributable to  137
domestic violence in the patient's medical record, including  138
creating whenever possible a photographic record of the  139
patient's injuries, in situations in which a doctor of medicine  140
or osteopathic medicine, hospital intern or resident, or  141
registered, advanced practice registered, or licensed practical  142
nurse knows or has reasonable cause to believe that the patient  143
has been the victim of domestic violence, as defined in section  144
3113.31 of the Revised Codewhenever possible.  145
       (C) When adopting the protocols required under division  146
(B) of this section, a hospital may utilize the protocols  147
established by the department of health pursuant to section  148
3701.0413 of the Revised Code.  149
       Sec. 5119.335. (A) As used in this section:  150
       (1) "Domestic violence" has the same meaning as in section  151
3113.31 of the Revised Code.  152
       (2) "Health care professional" has the same meaning as in  153
section 3701.0413 of the Revised Code.  154
       (B) Not later than ninety days after the effective date of  155
this section, each hospital licensed under section 5119.33 of  156
the Revised Code shall adopt protocols for conducting an  157
interview with a patient when a health care professional knows  158
or has reasonable cause to believe that the patient has been the  159
H. B. No. 566  Page 7
As Introduced
victim of domestic violence; for conducting one or more  160
interviews in those circumstances, separate and apart from the  161
interview with the patient, with any family or household member  162
present; and for documenting patient injuries or illnesses  163
attributable to domestic violence in the patient's medical  164
record, including creating a photographic record of the  165
patient's injuries whenever possible.  166
       (C) When developing the protocols required under division  167
(B) of this section, a hospital may utilize the protocols  168
established by the department of health pursuant to section  169
3701.0413 of the Revised Code.  170
       Section 2. That existing section 3727.08 of the Revised  171
Code is hereby repealed.  172
       Section 3. This act shall be known as the Break the  173
Silence Act.  174