Over two years, this coalition worked together to develop the HCCJ Model Policy Toolkit. The toolkit is a public resource to develop and implement hospital policies that protect and uphold the humanity and legal rights of hospital patients, particularly victims of violent crime who interact with law enforcement officials (LEOs) in the Emergency Department, acute patient care areas, and trauma bays. It addresses the following critical issues identified by our collective:

• Law enforcement seizures of personal items (such as cellphones, wallets, and clothing)
• Law enforcement access to patient care areas, including the designation of private vs. public spaces within hospitals
• Familial access to loved ones, familial access to loved ones after they have died, and HIPAA protection(s)

The toolkit contains guidance on how to design and implement model policies that can be adapted for use in hospital settings to address specific issues around patient property, law enforcement access to patient care areas, and familial rights.

The appendices contain the model policies and accompanying form that the HCCJ developed. While the policies within were drafted to be directly applicable to D.C. area hospitals, they were written to be broad enough to be applicable (with adaptation) to hospitals around the United States.

Download the Toolkit here.