The selection of prospective adoptive parents will take into account any health conditions curtailing their normal daily activities or reducing their normal life expectancies.
It is in the child's best interest that the birth parents keep the department informed of any health problems that the parent develops that could affect the child and keep an address current with the department in order to permit a response to inquiries concerning medical or social history. Section 9203 of the Family Code authorizes a person who has been adopted and who attains the age of 21 years to request the department to disclose the name and address of the adoptee's birth parents.
The department or adoption agency that made a medical report shall provide a copy of the medical report to any of the listed persons upon the person's request.
The foster child's caretaker is responsible for obtaining and maintaining accurate information from the child's physician for the health summary. The child protective agency must inquire whether there is new information that should be added to the summary on each visit.
There is no Physician-Patient Privilege in a proceeding to commit the patient or otherwise place him or his property, or both, under the control of another because of his alleged mental or physical condition. (No privilege in a mental illness trial to prevent the introduction of testimony of doctors who have been appointed by the court, 35 Op.Atty.Gen. 226 (1960).)
Within 48 hours of placing a child into a foster or kinship care, the placing agency shall provide the caretaker with any prescribed medications in agency possession and instructions for their use and information about any treatments that are in effect for the child at the time of placement.
All licensed adoption agencies shall devise a plan for effective and discreet transmission to adoptees or prospective adoptive parents of pertinent medical information reported to the department or the licensed adoption agency, upon the request of the person reporting the medical information.
Foster care public health care nurses' duties shall include documenting that each child in foster care receives initial and follow-up health screenings that meet reasonable standards of medical practice, collecting health information on each foster child, participating in medical care planning and coordinating for the child, and providing follow-up to evaluate the child's progress in meeting treatment goals.
An agency may disclose personal information to an adopted person that is limited to general background information pertaining to the adopted person's natural parents, provided that the information does not include or reveal the identity of the natural parents.
An agency may disclose personal information to a child or a grandchild of an adopted person and disclosure is limited to medically necessary information pertaining to the adopted person's natural parents. The information, or the process for obtaining the information, shall not include or reveal the identity of the natural parents.
