Hospitals; emergency departments, screening patients for depression.

Hospitals; emergency departments; screeningpatients for depression. Requires every hospital licensed by the Department of Health that operates an emergency department todevelop a protocol for (i) screening each patient who receives servicesin the emergency department for depression and (ii) providing informationabout depression, symptoms of depression, services that may be availablefor individuals experiencing depression, and providers of such servicesto each patient for whom a screening indicates reason to believethe patient may be experiencing depression. The bill directs the Departmentto develop such information.