SPRINGFIELD — To ensure patients have a chance to designate an emergency contact when seeking care, a new law spearheaded by State Senator Mattie Hunter will require hospitals to offer an opportunity to provide contact information starting Jan. 1.

“When someone is seeking care, their first thought is not telling hospital staff who their emergency contact is, it’s getting the care they need,” said Hunter (D-Chicago). “Now, patients won’t have to worry about remembering – our hospital staff will spearhead collecting important information they need, like an emergency contact.”

The new law requires hospitals to present a patient with the opportunity to designate an emergency contact and authorize the hospital to share protected health information with this contact.

It also requires hospitals to disclose the death of a patient to the emergency contact as soon as possible.

“This law supports both patients and hospitals when seeking and giving care so no one has to worry about navigating administrative procedures when needing to contact someone about a patient’s condition,” said Hunter.

House Bill 1332 takes effect on Jan. 1, 2026.