Section 1254.6.

(a)  A hospital shall provide, free of charge, information and instructional materials regarding sudden infant death syndrome, as described in Section 1596.847, explaining the medical effects upon infants and young children and emphasizing measures that may reduce the risk.

(b)  The information and materials described in subdivision (a) shall be provided to parents or guardians of each newborn, upon discharge from the hospital. In the event of home birth attended by a licensed midwife, the midwife shall provide the information and instructional materials to the parents or guardians of the newborn.

(c)  To the maximum extent practicable, the materials provided to parents or guardians of each newborn shall substantially reflect the information contained in materials approved by the state department for public circulation. The state department shall make available to hospitals, free of charge, information in camera-ready typesetting format. Nothing in this section prohibits a hospital from obtaining free and suitable information from any other public or private agency.

(Added by Stats. 1997, Ch. 263, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1998.)